Novus Saeclorum: New Order of Ages
by aratcorien
Summary: Seifuu. When there is one hope, one love how do you achieve it? Seifer falls deeper into the Sorceress' web: Fujin rescues him, Rajin pays the price, but redemption finds them all in the end with help from Laguna.
1. Ages without Order

Disclaimer: [for the entirety of the story] alas, someone made the wonderful world of the FF Series, but it wasn't me. I'm just using the characters, etc.   
  
This Story's a little different, it has portions of a book I'm writing for a publisher, and some pages from my own journals. If you want to see the pictures described, say so in a review. All the lingo other than English is Latin. I thought it would give Fujin a bit more soul to have her be an artist.   
  
A Seifuu. For I have found quite a lack of them. To Patience!

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'What makes things final? What makes it the end? What is it in the stories that linger? What makes them complete? Is it the lack of completion? The open ended that lets the dreamers dream and the doubters theorize? Why peddle words like a beggar in the hidden corners of the world that cries, "I AM COMPLETE! SEE ME AND BE SAVED! THE END WILL BE SO BE CONTENT!" although they are still beggars in the corners that no one wishes to see. What happens when that beggar rises from the hidden corner and walks among us? Is he seen? Do they hear him? Do they listen?  
  
Perhaps they do, perhaps they are as sleepless as I, caught in an eternal struggle to find that which proves the contentment of having nothing, of suffering much and lacking everything a hero would fight for, but I doubt it. I doubt, and am silent, I listen and am searching, I struggle and I believe, for what implies consent more than silence?'  
  
- Novus Ordo Saeclorum "A New Order of Ages"  
  
Seifer closed the handbound journal and tapped it against his fingers lightly before looking the volume over. It was one of many sketchbooks and journals Fujin created, all hand bound and hand made from materials she found herself; this particular one was covered in an aged greenish leather, beaten and battered by the abuse it contracted being constantly in Fujin's pack. He remembered her working furiously on it almost every day. It seemed that although Fujin said little, she wasted no words. Every word, it seemed, was begging for an answer, as if she herself were tainted and unworthy to enjoy the beggar's phrases. The following pages were chalk full of drawings and scribbles made in pencil, charcoal, whatever she could get her small hands on. Seifer could remember her frantic about reaching into her metal art box and seeing her precious charcoals and pastels crushed to dust after a gravija spell. Seifer could remember her tears ripping canyons along her pale porcelain face until Raijin would try and make her laugh. He was always trying to make people laugh. Seifer also remembered Fujin taking her delicate fingers and rubbing the dust into the paper in lines and swirls that eventually formed the pictures Seifer could see in front of him. One was different, though. The lines and swirls were bigger and wobbly, from when she took his fingers, dipped them in her precious powder and guided his hand through the dance of drawing. All in all he was pretty proud of himself, proud of what they accomplished together.   
  
"She was trying to tell me," Seifer thought, spreading his warrior's calloused fingers gently hardly even touching the grooved and stressed paper, "She was trying to tell me that I could be that man, that I could be happy. And that I couldn't do it alone".  
  
Seifer had thought of her every day for years, mostly because they were together every day, her, Rajin and him, a Posse, the Disciplinary Committee, "Garden" Seifer spat, siting in the darkened room. Dark except for a single window, almost a skylight far above him coating the area of the book and spilling onto the floor a glorious light, a glorious sweetness, but there wasn't enough for him. No matter how hard he tried, the only way to get himself into the light was to kneel. It occured to him that the purpose of the light was to make people turn supplicant, to tame them into breaking and allowing whatever bliss followed the light coax and wash the kneeling figure into eternal servanthood. To be master of nothing, and servant of all. Only once had Seifer Almasy been in that light, only once bathed in its glory; the last night before Fujin and Rajin left to seek Ellone in Balamb, almost two weeks ago. Rajin had gone to search for his loves: a meal and sleep so Fujin had come into his room clutching the journal and tin of powdered charcoal.   
  
"What do you want?" he had asked, immediately apologizing for his tone. He never apologized for anything to anyone, but Fujin was different, she was so... fragile, like he could either break her completely, or help her stand taller. Having someone depend on you that much changes you, he thought, she would follow him to the end, they were a posse, but only Seifer controlled how. Seeing her clutching that stupid book and box so close to her heart as she shyly scuffled into the room was satisfying, in a way, and in another way painfully jealous to see. Seifer had been polishing his gunblade, Hyperion, and checking all of its parts, it was something he did every day. His greatcoat was strewn on his bed, and as he waived her in, she shuffled it over onto a chair and sat beside her friend. Seifer found that he couldn't speak, Fujin's muteness must be contagious he thought, finally wrapping Hyperion in the cloth he had been using to polish it, and placing it reverently back into the case. After pushing the case to the side, Fujin surprised him by kneeling directly in the light in front of Seifer's feet. It felt good, in a domineering sort of way, to have a girl kneeling in front if him, but he quickly let the thought drain out of his head, as Fujin opened the much beloved journal to the second to last page. There was writing all around that and the following pages, but she had left this one blank, for reasons Seifer would soon be able to explain. She held up the journal like a beacon, a pulpit, except instead of a cry in the desert, it was a single word,  
  
"COME".   
  
Seifer sat on his bed, overly huge and grandiose and wondered why they couldn't do whatever it was Fujin wanted up there, but found his knees buckling down to join her pleading, transparent eye. She smiled as she placed the book in his hand, slightly quivering from the contact, as she placed the tin box on the floor and opened it to reveal a thich ocean of multi-coloured dust merging into one black mess. It captivated Seifer, how this minute girl had grown on him through the years, her and Rajin were his only friends left, and even through and after Rinoa, Fujin was still there, kneeling in the light beside him. The light was so odd, so bright Seifer couldn't tell what was shining outside, he could only tell something was shining, stroking his face with an awesome brilliance that seemed to soak and set fire to Fujin's silver hair. Suddenly, Seifer felt like stroking it, reaching out and touching that straight silver hair flowing out of Fujin's head, but was brought back from his moment of want with her hand grabbing his and edging it over to the tin box , keeping the book suspended with her hand and his.  
  
"Fujin... I'm no artist, I can't... it's yours" Seifer started mumbling, suddenly caught off guard, but she simply held his hand,  
  
"HELP".  
  
So Fujin continued, dipping Seifer's fingers in the powder ocean, and baptising them in the art of drawing. At first, his hand shook and jumped as he tried to be in control of what the picture looked like, of the vision he had in his head, until Fujin let go of his hand, and placed her fingers over his eyelids, closing his eyes.  
  
"FEEL"  
  
"But I can't see what I'm doing"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"Why? Why can't I just do it the way I see it?"  
  
"MORE"  
  
"But..." Fujin surprised Seifer again by putting her fingers from his eyes to his lips, shushing him, then taking his hand into the charcoal ocean again. This time Seifer allowed his hand to be led, it felt odd to not be in control, to not know the outcome, to be enraptured in the touch of someone else, it felt condemning to feel her hand so softly skidding along the paper with mine, to see the light from the other side of my eyelids, almost like fire burning through. He liked fire, it consumed anything, was so destructive, yet so beautiful, it was enchanting as it burned, flickering passionately in whatever direction it saw fit. Nothing at all like Fujin. Fujin let herself be carried, drifted with the wind, but when aroused, could pound someone to the ground with invisible fury. Come to think of it, fire would just go straight up if it weren't for the wind. All that was running through his head as he let their hands drift across the page, smudging and swirling, painting a picture he couldn't see, but every second of not seeing, of not knowing made it okay. The picture was either going to be a complete mess or completely beautiful, and what did Seifer care? The sketchbook wasn't his. Their hands jerked as Seifer's muscles again tried to take control. He could feel Fujin frown, but she just took their hands off the page and dipped them in the dust again, this time putting her hand into Seifer's as he surprised himself by intertwining their fingers and moving in the same directions. After what seemed like forever, Fujin lifted their hands, and Seifer felt a tinge of loss at the empty air he had been resorted to.   
  
"OPEN" Fujin commanded, her voice sounding so real.  
  
Seifer opened his eyes and saw the beggar, deep bluish black outstretched in a surrounding circle of black tinted with what seemed like red and orange pastel. The red and orange faded into the corners, and there were tiny white spaces, and he could see where he messed up and was too harsh, but other than that it didn't look half bad. Seifer smiled, suddenly interested in what Fujin had written, in what graced the other pages of her book, but instead of revealing the other pages, she rose, and as she stood, she covered the light.  
  
"PREPARE" she said, pivoting to go.  
  
"No, stay. Just for a little while? Please?" Seifer shocked himself again, it hadn't been that long since he gave up trying with Rinoa, but he found himself doing things with Fujin that he had never thought possible with Rinoa, besides, he could tell she had the hots for Squall. Thinking about Squall made him want to fight, to reach back, grab Hyperion and go fight whatever came at him. Then he realised he was still kneeling in the middle of his room holding Fujin's hand, begging her to stay. Instead of saying he was pathetic and storming out like he thought she would, she knelt back down, closed the lid of her tin box still on the floor, placed the journal beside it and held Seifer's hands, spreading his fingers so that their hands were touching each other ourstretched, his calloused hands far engulfing her sliced and scared digits. As she brought their hands up, Seifer's breathing grew heavier, suddenly unable to control himself as a soft breeze flooded the air around them as Fujin manipulated it with magic. They were in the center of the breeze together, the air tuggin at him, bringing him closer, until their noses were almost touching and Fujin opened her eye, basking in the feel of her hair partially blowing in the breeze. Before he knew what he was doing, Seifer took his hand and tugged at the eye patch covering Fujin's left eye, and the winds burst out stronger as the book flipped open with the sudden gush of wind,  
  
"NEGATIVE" Fujin said weakly, she had never sounded so fragile, but she found she couldn't move. Seifer tugged the patch off all the way and gulped slightly at the hideous scar jaggedly careening from the bridge of Fujin's nose to a little past the end of her eye, welding it forever shut. Her breaths grew ragged,  
  
"HIDEOUS" Fujin pleaded, downcasting her eyes and letting her hands fall to her sides, but Seifer took a hand, opened the fingers and traced his own scar with Fujin's fingers, letting her hand linger there as his other hand curled around her waist before he peeled his own fingers apart and felt all the way across Fujin's scar.  
  
"We've all got scars, Fujin"  
  
"EMBARASSED"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"FAULT"  
  
"Beautiful" Seifer heard himself say, softer and kinder than he had even dreamed possible coming from his mouth. Fujin's unscarred eye lept up at his, searching and scanning for something true, for one thing about what he said that he meant. She found a tear straining to cascade down his face, and pressed her fingers to her lips, then placed them on the tear as it fell,   
  
"I'm not supposed to cry?" Seifer whispered, as Fujin's fingers, still dressed in his lone tear pressed against his lips as his grip on her waist tightened and he brought her closer to him. Seifer's back slid back and hit his bed, as Fujin fell against him, placing her hands around his neck and kissing him securely, of which he reciprocated and found his hands roaming Fujin's back, face and neck before gently lifting her chin in his hand and pulling her face lightly away.  
  
"What are we doing?"  
  
"COMFORT" the enigmatic silver vixen answered, leaning her hands against his chest and laying her head on her hands.  
  
"Is that all?" he said, searching for something that could explain the nervous feeling in his gut. Of course he had kissed Rinoa before, but nothing in his time with Rinoa could amount to the pure passion and lingering presence that would haunt his mind.  
  
"GOODBYE" Fujin replied, a tear falling freely from her eye, as Seifer realised that Fujin thought she would never see him again. She's afraid to die he thought, we're afraid we'll never see each other again. Woa, where did that come from, he thought, as he reached for her chin and pulled her carefully up to where he kissed her eyelids while wiping her tears with his thumb.  
  
"Shh, Fuu, It's okay, it's gonna be okay, it has to be okay, we have to be okay, okay?"  
  
Seifer let the words cascade without censuring them,   
  
"I don't know what I feel, but it isn't bad, I'm not mad, or hurt or anything, I'm scared that the end is coming and that I don't know what we're going to do, I'm scared of death, of knowing I'll see Squall again, and I'm scared I'll never see you again, that one of us will die..."  
  
"NO!" Fujin wailed, kissing Seifer again, letting all her feelings and emotions, worry, doubt, friendship, caring, love... love. A love that was reciprocated with Seifer's lips as his hormones and instincts took control of his body and he let himself go, just like in the picture. Was that what she came in for? To say goodbye, to get me to let go? Seifer thought, before gasping for breath and letting their backs slip down to the floor, blankets coming with them, Fujin on top of him now, devoid of her blue jacket that she had chucked into the corner with her eyepatch. Taking a quick breath again, Seifer looked up at the girl, so wounded, so frail, do full of power he never would have thought she could be that weak, then again, he never wanted to accept that he could be that weak, before he captured her mouth again, opening his own and letting their tongues slip together as he groped her small body. Eventually, Seifer felt tears coaxing their way onto his cheek from above him, and he opened his eyes to see Fujin's good eye closed shut, crying. he could feel the sobs wracking her body as he lifted her face away, kissed her forehead and let her fall into his chest before kicking off their boots and getting up to lift her onto the bed. At this action, Fujin stiffened, and whimpered short and painfully, but Seifer shushed her, holding her close as he himself prepared to lie down beside her,  
  
"Shh, I'm not going to leave. If I can help it, I'll get out, I'll leave Edea and it can be me you and Rajin, doing whatever we want, we can take walks and go fishing and travel and everything... Fuu? What's this?" he asked, tracing his finger from a place right under her neck down to the neckline of her shirt. Fujin shrank back in horror, just like she did when Seifer touched her scarred eye.   
  
"PAIN"  
  
"Who did this?"  
  
Fujin didn't answer, she merely turned on his bed so her face was pointed at the wall. Through the thin material of her shirt he could see similar scars to the one on her eye lining down to her arms. Why hadn't he noticed them before? The one on her throat lingered until it eventually wrapped down her side to the small of her back, and he flipped her back to face him harshly,  
  
"What happened?" he asked, a little more gently.  
  
"HURT"  
  
"Who? You can tell me," he tried to reassure her by placing his hand on her arm and rubbing it softly. Fujin kept silent.  
  
Seifer closed his eyes in decrepit rage, leaning his lythe frame onto the bed, which creaked slightly as he let Fujin turn over and cry into his chest. Seifer vowed to never hurt her, no matter what the Sorceress made him do, he had a new dream now, and Fujin was in it.   
  
Kissing her forehead, he ran his fingers through her hair, calming her as she sobbed, allowing his other arm to roam along her back until her breathing became regular and he realised he had left the blankets on the floor, and even though he was getting colder, he tried to protect Fujin from the cold, after all, isn't that what a knight is supposed to do? She stirred, and wiped her eye before nuzzling herself deeper and more comfortably into Seifer's arms and chest.   
  
"COLD"  
  
Seifer leaned over and grabbed the blankets, swinging the fabric over them before kissing her forehead,  
  
"Goodnight, Fujin. You'll be here, right? When I wake up?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE" Fujin yawned, draping a lazy arm over Seifer's side, and kissing his collarbone. She was the only person to ever see this side of him, even Rinoa hadn't gotten to view this Seifer, a private Seifer, a questioning Seifer. Maybe it was because they had known each other since they were little, or maybe it was the fact that they were a posse. Seifer suddenly got a mental picture of Rajin sleeping onthe bed too, and shuddered. It had to be more than that. Perhaps she just understood. Yeah, that was it, he thought, she...  
  
Seifer fell soundly asleep as the light faded into the moon. 


	2. Food and the foreign

Morning came silently, as the light through the window tickled the floor where Fujin's book laid. The pair were still soundly asleep, until a crashing woke them with a start as Rajin came barreling in the door with a large tray of food. Seifer snorted as Fujin yawned, stretching her limbs before tangling them up in Seifer's as he tried to rise but ended down on the pillow again.  
  
"Rise and shine, ya know... Edea won't let us be tardy, ya know... worse than Xu... heh! ...but ya know I've got breakfast for ya, ya know" Rajin said, knocking the few items Seifer kept on the small table off onto the floor before putting down the tray and stuffing a hot roll halfways into his mouth. This sort of thing didn't shock Rajin anymore. Fujin and Seifer often slept and napped together, usually when one of them was feeling bad, or sad about something, or they were out in the wild and all three of them curled up for warmth, but most often after Seifer had been to the Training Center in Balamb Garden and hurt himself without thinking about it and grunting as Fujin met him outside the Training Center door, potions in hand. They would walk to the dorm Rajin and him shared together, and Fujin would treat his wounds and end up sleeping curled up in the fetal position on top of Seifer's bed. This time, however caught Rajin's eyes as Fujin curled herself from under the covers and stretched her arms above her head as Seifer leaned up and placed his arm, unwittingly around her tiny waist.   
  
"Uhhh... ya know Edea's not gonna be too happy with you two, ya know. Uhh... were you two doing anything... ya know... anything..."  
  
"We're still clothed, you idiot" Seifer said, chucking his pillow and nailing the wall behind Rajin.  
  
"Ya, I know, that's not what I ... okay, whatever ya know" Rajin blurted, cringing as Fujin prepared to throw the other pillow. Seifer rolled out of bed first, shaking his head and lending his hand to Fujin as she tumbled into him groggily. Rajin continued to stare at them while handing them a cup of coffee to Seifer, and tea to Fujin.  
  
"Just the way ya like it, ya know" Rajin said, smiling slightly at the change in his friends. He had been hoping those two would just give in and agree that there was something between them for a while now, but he had learned long ago that you don't go messing in things that aren't your business. Seifer gulped his black coffee, burning his tongue and throat in the process, as cringing before preparing to throw the mug on the floor. Fujin's hand shot up and grabbed the mug around his fingers,  
  
"HOT"   
  
"No really? I burnt my friggin' mouth on it!" Fujin just rolled her eye and blew on his coffee like they did every morning when there was no ice-cubes to plunk in.  
  
"Thanks" Seifer said, calmer than before a bit dissapointed as she let go and blew on her own tea. Well that was progress, Rajin thought, smiling to himself over a fork full of scrambled eggs happily. Fujin sat on the table, gingerly taking a bite out of her english muffin with jam and putting it down to nurse her small bowl of grapefruit sections and cottage cheese. Seifer sat on the edge of his bed scarfing down a sausage before letting his toast fall into his eggs, sunny side up before looking up at Fujin an Rajin, his posse, his friends, his world. As worlds go, this was a small one, and he knew this was going to be the last meal they enjoyed together before they set out in opposing directions, so he slowed down, grabbed an orange from the pile and spent precious moments peeling it.   
  
"So, ya know, Fujin and I are going to be stationed in Balamb, ya know. Wonder what it'll be like, back in the old haunts, ya know"  
  
"MEMORY" Fujin said, putting down her fork. Seifer looked up at her melencholy eyes, put down his orange, took his knife, and cut a piece of the apple sitting perched next to his orange peels and a banana. Rajin was happily shocked as Seifer took the piece of apple and leaned in to Fujin and fed it to her. Rajin had been trying to get those two together since he met them, okay, so that was longer than he remembered, the point being, they were meant for each other, and he could see it. It was one of the few things Rajin could see. Fujin kissed the tops of Seifer's fingers as she bit the apple slice, eliciting a twitch from Seifer, and a hearty laugh breaking out of Rajin's belly.  
  
"It's about time, ya know! I knew something was happening, ya know! Just wait til... there ain't nobody to tell is there, ya know?" Seifer turned slightly red before standing hurredly, as Fujin kicked Rajin with her foot, and jumped up from the table, pointing back to it.  
  
"BREAKFAST" she commanded, and when Fujin Barr commanded anything, you listened. So Seifer sat back down, and pulled a piece of orange into his mouth. Rajin stopped massaging his shin, and got back to quietly eating his breakfast, finishing quickly and standing from his seat,  
  
"Well, that's it for me, ya know. I'm gonna get ready for the train, ya know. You two... heh. you two just ... hehe eat ya know"   
  
"Rajin!" Seifer said in a threatening tone, both knowing full well that he wasn't going to do anything threatening.   
  
"See ya, ya know!" Rajin laughed, exiting the room, banana in hand, as Fujin and Seifer both eyed the only chair at the same time. Seifer scrambled into the chair, as Fujin lept late, landing on Seifer's lap. After the triumph wore off, and Fujin prepared to go back to sitting on the table, Seifer let his arm grab Fujin's waist and keep her on his lap. He had been surprising himself a lot lately. They finished their breakfast with Seifer slicing the apple into more pieces and feeding them to himself and Fujin one at a time. At the last apple piece, Seifer eyed Fujin and put it towards her mouth,  
  
"You have it."  
  
"TOGETHER" Fujin said, biting half of the piece and thrusting Seifer's hand to his mouth. Seifer rapped her fingers with his lips before eating the piece of apple, as she turned on his lap to straddle him. He wasn't the only one surprising themselves. Fujin looked down embarrassed and apologetic as Seifer swallowed and found his other arm fitting itself around her, placed on the small of her back. Seifer batted her chin up with his nose, toying with her face, catching it in small pecking kisses before she took her hands and grabbed his face, catching his mouth in a passionate kiss. As they dissconected, Seifer sat there shocked, breathing heavier before lifting Fujin up with him to a standing position. It was then that Sorceress Edea moved from her position by the door into view of the two comrades in arms.  
  
"When you are quite finished, I have a world to run, if you don't mind." Edea spat, harshly joking in a serious way.  
  
Fujin let go and brought her hand up in a salute, before reddening and sinking back against the bed leg.   
  
"Child, your eye bothers me, cover it up" Edea snapped, briefly sounding tender, yet ending in a snarl as it seemed that someone took control. Fujin quickly turned the room searching for her precious eye patch, before Seifer knelt, picked it up from it's place beside her jacket, and rose carrying both. Fujin turned into him, stiff from the presence of the Sorceress, slightly scared, although Seifer knew she would never show it willingly. Seifer placed the eyepiece over her hair and onto its place, smoothing her hair to its usual position before swinging her coat around and draping it through her arms and onto her shoulders.  
  
"I can always come back when you are good and ready" Edea said, jolting the two back to the task at hand. As Fujin buckled up her coat, Seifer grabbed her tin box and journal off the floor and held it out to her. She yanked the tin box from his hand and slipped it in her pocket before hearing Edea clear her throat, turned, saluted the Sorceress, and walked out the door giving Seifer one last look of farewell before she walked back in to grab her boots. Edea sat on the chair, so Fujin stumbled onto the bed, trying to get the damnable bots on her feet and buckled. Seifer leaned down, buckling one of the boots as he finished and ran his fingers a little ways up her legs before slapping her toes and cuffing her affectionately on the ear, as she stood, saluted Edea again, and Seifer was left kneeling hearing the sound of Fujin's boots click their way down the hall to her quarters.   
  
"I understand the hormones of a man your age, but do you have to keep me waiting because of it?"  
  
Seifer didn't speak, he slowly rose, lifting the journal, leaving the small patch of light from where he knelt to buckle Fujin's boot.  
  
"What I don't understand is why you cater to some small insignificant tart who isn't remotely pretty and is flawed"  
  
"She's beautiful! Fujin's significant, she's my friend"  
  
"I can give you so much more" Edea said, standing to where he stood, and whispering in his ear. 


	3. Oceanic respites and darkened elders

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Perfect Soldier 01 - I'm glad you see it that way, Writing for me is a coping mechanism, so most often when I come out with something new it's to work something out. I just hope that others can think and possibly learn something from what they read.  
  
savggrl - thanks for the love! I took a gamble, and I guess its paying off? I'll update as soon as I can  
  
Riverwood - Glad you have decided to take a gander. I hope you stay for a while, too. I just started this fic, so 3 reviews is pretty good so far. I'm glad you don't like Edea, I needed something evil-ish. Hope you approve of the next chapters  
  
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"I don't want more," Seifer breathed, looking at the doorway Fujin had diminished from. Edea motioned to the table and the plates therewith,  
  
"You know I do not like your 'posse'. They take attention away from me, and I cannot have my Sorceress Knight focussing on one silver haired cycloptic minnow when I might be in danger. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes, Sorceress Edea. This is why they were moved, right?"  
  
"Yes. Now get ready, I am impatient of waiting." Edea said, her voice dripping like aloof poison as she turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Seifer? Do not forget my kindness"  
  
"Kindness?" Seifer asked, facing the sorceress.  
  
"Yes, I saved them, and gave them a key role while keeping them away from the dangerous action."  
  
"Thank you. How can I repa..."  
  
"You can repay me by following my orders. Now come, no more dawdling. take what you need, we will be gone for some time" the dark lady said, snipping every word short, dripping with distain yet combined with an element of something else, something electrifying and so utterly manipulative Seifer could do nothing but follow. He swung his greatcoat on, grabbing his pack from beside the bed and packed an extra pair of clothing, ammo, his personal affects, and the journal Fujin had left in her rush to leave the Sorceress' presence. He threw his boots on, grabbed Hyperion's case with the gunblade securely tucked inside and left without another word. By now Fujin and Rajin will be on the other train, heading with a unit to Balamb, and me? Seifer thought, the only sound emanating from his boots on the cold stone floor, and I am going to destroy the past.   
  
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'The past cannot be changed. Just as the future is dreamt, and the present is rolling through our minds, draining, draining, forever emptying its glory onto the dusts of the past without anything more than a whimper. Why do we fight? Why do I find myself thinking 'if only'? What if the past could be changed? What then? Would I be different? Would I exist? Would the world be worth saving? Am I saving it? Too long have I looked back and seen only my reflection, my eyes heavy with the burden of knowing that I changed things, that I could have done something to save the ones I love. What is the purpose of the beggar on the street corner? What is his hope? What is it that gives him the strength and peace to get up on his creaking, sodden limbs and cry out to people who won't listen. WHY WON'T THEY LISTEN?!? If the past is changed, the future is lost, what happened in the past is the only hope the beggar has left! If he loses his past, or it never happened, he has nothing to fall back on, nothing to wrap around him at night, like the old decrepit blanket he had when his life was perfect. If someone takes the blanket away, what will he do? Yes there is pain, yes there is sorrow, and bad times and tragedy wrapped in that blanket, but there were also good times, happy times, wonderful gifts woven into the fabric.  
  
If given the chance to love but once and be hurt ever more, or live your life alone and cold, what would you do? What will I do? Will he listen?'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum "A New Order of Ages"  
  
  
  
On the train, Seifer read the pages over and over, flipping and soaking up every word, every line sketched in by Fujin's faithful hand. It took Fujin's actions the night and hours before to realise she really didn't think they would see each other alive. All Seifer wanted to do was curl up with her, tell her that it's all okay, that the fighting can be over and they would manage somehow, Fujin, Rajin and Seifer, a posse; but it was clear that Fujin had to fight, she had to do her part in the tapestry of time, even if it did end in tragedy for the sole purpose of the single hope that things just might turn out alright in the end. Edea had given Seifer a chance to get away from the childish squabbles, to let him become a man. Here he was, sitting in a grandiose train car, guards posted at every door and the great Sorceress, Champion of his freedom sitting on a throne at the other side of the room, and all Seifer could do was look out the window and clutch Fujin's journal wishing with all his ability that he was somewhere else. Reality sucks. Fujin understood, she knew reality was a painful substitute for fancy, but she continued on, at peace with the knowledge that this might be the end, but at least for someone, the end will be happy, and isn't one truely happy person enough to fight and die for?   
  
Edea cleared her throat, shaking Seifer from his repose,  
  
"Are you ungrateful?"  
  
"Ungrateful?"  
  
"I know what I said, answer the question" she snapped, eliciting a jolt from the guards as Seifer wiped his hand down his face, shoked to find tears on his cheeks.  
  
"No, I am grateful, you gave me the opportunity to grow up, become a man, reach my destiny. What could be better than this?"  
  
"From the tears on your face, having that silver minnow in your arms." Seifer sighed heavily, taking control of his body and waiting for what Edea was inevitably going to say,  
  
"Can I depend on you? I know I can depend on her"  
  
"I am your Sorceress Knight"  
  
"Yes, I know that, but if the choice came between me and that animated statue who would you save, I wonder?"  
  
"I chose to follow you"  
  
"Aah, but there are bonds stronger than loyalty and choice. Do you honestly think I will let her live if you so much as step out of bounds once?"  
  
"No"  
  
"And why wouldn't I"  
  
"I am your Sorceress Knight, it is my solemn duty to protect you no matter the cost"  
  
"Excellent. And if the cost was greater than you expected?"  
  
"Nothing is greater than I expect"  
  
"That remains to be seen" For a second, Edea seemed to turn warm, to have a flush of caring on her cheeks, like she wanted to wrap up Seifer's pain and give him whatever he wanted.  
  
"So young. So promising, do you want to throw it all away? Do you want to give everything you have spent your life to build to the wind? Do you want to follow?"  
  
It took Seifer a second to realise that this Edea was closer to a human being, that she was giving him a chance to back down, escape, and take off after Fujin. She's letting me go... Seifer thought, seeing the kind twinkle in Edea's eyes, before noticing the twitch in her lips, so she was fighting, too. She was fighting to play her part in the present and future, while it suddenly occured to Seifer that she had been given the choice to disengage, but rather than disengage and change the future, she would fulfill her purpose, she would allow the story to sweep her away. If there is anyway of saving this Edea, he thought, I will stay with her until I find it. Maybe there is still hope.  
  
Maybe that was what Fujin was saying, that yes, people can be cowards, and take the easy, pleasurable way out, live life seemingly happy, but that no one would remember that. No one would remember the guy who quit Garden or the girl with the silver hair, and even if it meant death, even if it changed everything, at least he had to try, at least he had to let whatever fate there was in the world take him to the place where his purpose could be fulfilled. Then after his part was done, what did he have to lean on? What hope is there in the end of all things?  
  
"I am here by choice, my life has brought me to this place and I am not going to back down. I am here till the end" for a brief moment, he thought he saw a tear shrinking down Edea's face, a tear of protective sadness, but just as quickly,  
  
"Good. You know how inconvenient it would be for me to find a new knight, and we can't have people who know our plans turn against us, now can we?"   
  
"Yes, Sorceress."  
  
"We will search for Garden. We make our way to Centra"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------  
  
Rajin could smell the ocean, peppering the air with salt, and seaweed baking in the sun with lemon and a Balamb Fish. He smiled to himself, this was home, no matter how he left, or how he was returning, this was where he belonged. Looking over at the woman beside him, he noticed her eye shut peacefully, the other draped in its blue-black patch, and knew that the sea air was doing her good. The occupation had been quick enough, practically painless, the only resistance coming from a few youth caught outside the town. Rajin and Fujin stood leaning on the dock, given a few precious moments as the troops cleaned up any more difficuilties within the little villiage. No one there had yet seen their faces, and that was how Fujin wanted it to remain. She had been appointed Commander, and stationed in the Balamb Hotel to deal with the logistics, and command of the town. Rajin was her Captain, and that was fine with him, it meant he still was pretty important, but didn't have the responcibility and only had to follow Fujin's orders.   
  
"Commander?" a Lieutenant asked, saluting the pair, and giving Fujin a clipboard,  
  
"Both sweeps of the town have come up with nothing on Ellone, and here is the initial report on the population, resources and uses of the town."  
  
"AGAIN"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"She said, sweep the town again, ya know. Leave nothing out, ya know" Rajin said, leaning back into the railing. Fujin kicked Rajin in the buttox,   
  
"GO"  
  
"Me, too ya know?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"Okay, whatever ya know, I'll go, ya know... gees, where'll you be, ya know?"  
  
"HOTEL" Fujin said, holding the clipboard up threateningly.  
  
"RAGE!"  
  
The Lieutenant saluted quickly and took his leave, with Rajin close behind,  
  
"Hey, wait for me, ya know! That's ya know, an order, ya know!" Fujin heard Rajin yelp, as he ran off to search the little town again. As she walked to the hotel, and returned the salutes of her troops, Fujin knew that Ellone wasn't in Balamb, but she simply needed some time for herself. Since leaving Seifer's room, there had been no time for anything other than picking up her pinwheel and her pack. It took her all the way to Balamb Hotel to notice that the journal she had worked on with Seifer wasn't there, she panicked, and ended up hurting two Privates before Rajin grabbed her minute frame and carryed her off to the beach where she could hunt Fatiolocans until her rage had subsided. She had gone back to the hotel and laid down sweating, hoping that Seifer had it, that he hadn't just left it there on the floor, before the thoughts in her head ebbed away. Finished, she picked up a pen and began inking in some bamboo shoots and leaves rusting in the wind on the red leather cover before blowing on it and writing on the first page, before Rajin came bounding up the stairs heaving and wounded.  
  
"HAPPEN?"  
  
"It's them, ya know, they came back, ya know, Squall ya know, to free Balamb, ya know"  
  
"FIGHT"  
  
"But Fu..." Rajin pleaded, holding his bruised gut.  
  
"NOW!" Fujin said, lunging for her pinwheel as she healed Rajin and careened out of the room just in time to meet Seifer's arch enemy, Squall. After the battle, Fujin and Rajin bolted licking their wounds and hoping Seifer wasn't wrong, hoping that the three of them still had hope. The order to withdraw came and the Galbadian soldiers vacated quickly, already taken heavy losses from SeeD. Edea was not going to be happy, but then again, was she ever?  
  
---------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Report has come in that the opperation in Balamb failed, milady. The Commander and Captain met with SeeD resistance, the order to withdraw came after they lost the battle."  
  
"Did the SeeDs give chase?"  
  
"No ma'am."  
  
"I see... Lieutenant? Next time Fujin or Rajin flea or do anything autonomous outside my specific orders, you know what to do"  
  
"Yes Ma'am" the Leutenant said, eyes dancing with enticement as he saluted,  
  
"Oh, and Lieutenant?"  
  
"Yes Ma'am?"  
  
"You and your troop may have your way with the girl. Just make certain you torture them well before they die. But if I hear word that you have taken her for any other reason, or hampered them from doing their job, I will personally end your existence in the most painful way possible, understand?"  
  
"Yes Ma'am" the Lieutenant left, licking his lips slightly threateningly before bumping into something in the shadows. It was Seifer and he was not happy.  
  
"GET OUT" Seifer seethed intensely, sprawling his gunblade into action, spitting on the Lieutenant who was increasingly scared, and couldn't wait to comply.   
  
"EDEA!"  
  
The Sorceress turned on her throne, giving Seifer the steadfast emotionless stare he had been acustomed to, before edging her voice with enough seductive malace the Pope would be privy.  
  
"My Knight! I suppose you heard every word, your little minnow ran. She bolted faster than I gave her credit. We can't have supplicants dissobeying us, now can we?"  
  
"Why.."  
  
"Can we?" she shouted, before rising and pacing to Seifer before leading him to her throne. Forcefully sitting him on her throne, she turned to its back, placing her bony, clawish fingers firmly on his shoulders.  
  
"They must obey, and what happens to supplicants who dissobey?"  
  
"They are punished" Seifer said, complete and utter blackness draining his eyes as he sat on the throne.  
  
"Exactly. I wil make a ruler out of you, yet my young Knight. I have to enact a punishment on Fujin when she retreats again, don't I?"  
  
"She had to, the... Squall was too strong"  
  
"So it was Squall, was it not?"  
  
"You know it was." Seifer spat, leaning to rise. She stopped him with a squeeze of her fingernails.  
  
"Yes, and what am I going to let you DO to Squall when we win?"  
  
"Whatever I want"  
  
"What do we have to do to win?"  
  
"Complete every mission successfully"  
  
"Did Fujin and Rajin complete their mission successfully?"  
  
"No. But"  
  
"Ah! Don't interupt. For you, I give them a second chance, for you I allow them to live, I keep Fujin chaste and safe for you. Think of her as a present upon successful completion. That's what you want, isn't it?" Edea said, manipulating every word with an ether of controlling magic, breaking his will, opening his thoughts to him.  
  
"I see you, all of you. I know your nature, she does not. And she never will unless you do what you are ordered. Nothing more, nothing less. Am I clear?"  
  
Seifer pondered her words for an everlasting moment, before responding,  
  
"What must I do?"  
  
"Follow me. Obey me, keep me safe, destroy Garden, and after the war, you will have your minnow, and Squall with his flounder of a girl to do whatever you wish."  
  
"The Lieutenant?"  
  
"Will do nothing unless you or she fails. Think of it as... an added impulse to complete my will. Now go, I tire" she drawled, pushing Seifer out of her throne before sitting on it and looking at Seifer's position kneeling on the floor.  
  
"Seifer, I do everything for you. Remember that. You hold the Fates in your hands" Seifer got up slowly, rising without another word, after exiting, he found the Lieutenant and punched him hard, leaving a scar thick with blood from the metal edging of his greatcoat before sitting in his room and opening the journal to where he was in the beginning. 


	4. Sobbings and Sails

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Seifer couldn't stand it anymore. He had begun to realise that maybe his pride had led him to this, led Fujin to such a precarious position that he couldn't stop this madness even if he really wanted to. Did he want to? Sitting on the throne, punching the guards, the power Edea allowed him was almost as intoxicating as love. He breathed heavy, trying solidly to get his body under control, get the adrenaline pumping through his system to fade and fuzz over and let him contemplate the significance of what had actually taken place. He didn't know what he felt, standing in the shadows, hearing the report from the Lieutenant, shaking in rage but restraining himself from beating the rogue senseless for calling Fujin a coward.  
  
Squall! That brat back a Garden, they had been best friends once, but then Squall couldn't stop feeling sorry for himself until he had forgotten. They had all forgotten. Seifer didn't know why, but he could remember seeing Squall all throughout his life, always getting more attention, more friends, more gifts, better at everything even though they were supposed to be equal. Hearing Squall had now gotten Fujin in reprimand made Seifer want to kill him as coldly as possible. Seifer stood, yelling in anguish over Fujin not being there, of her fighting without him, of Edea's order and Squall taking her down, as he threw the precious thing in his hands trembling as he gasped for air between sobs that wracked his body as the greatcoat he wore slipped off his shoulders and he sank into the light from the window. All Seifer could do was hold his head in his hands as realization coaxed the magic of control out of him as the adrenaline took it along with the bottomless low he suffered as the natural drug wore off. Again, he ripped his voice in a sickening moaning yelp of grief as he looked at the thing he had thrown down. It was the journal. Fumbling his calloused fingers across the stones, he groped the journal to him, muttering whispers of appology to a Fujin he didn't think was there before picking up the precious book and scanning the page that had loosed from the binding.   
  
"That we might clasp, ere closed, the book of fate,  
  
And make the writer on a fairer leaf  
  
Inscribe our names, or quite obliterate.  
  
Ah! Love, could you and I with fate conspire  
  
To mend this sorry scheme of things entire,  
  
Would we not shatter it to bits, and then  
  
Remould it nearer to the heart's desire?"   
  
- Omar Khayyam used in a page of Nobus Ordo Saeclorum  
  
Seifer began to read aloud the writing on the page, his voice feeble and hoarse from the moaning grief-stricken yelps, but quietly, barely a whimper, he could hear another voice join his own. Shaken, he swept his head upward, holding the book to his heart in case it was Edea come to destroy it. But it wasn't her. Fujin stood at the door, tears streaked down her face as she ran the few paces to fold the journal, fling it down and envelope the broken man in her slender, welcoming arms. She didn't know what to do, she had never seen him so sick with malcontent, never seen him sob so freely and it cut her down as he repeated the words that she had been wishing he would fulfill with her for such a bitter, long time. Together they sank in the light sobbing, crying freely as Seifer gnashed his teeth at the mess he'd made, at the danger he finally saw. It wasn't a game anymore, it wasn't fun. He had grown up, become a man and he did not like what he saw. Weeping steadily, Seifer wrapped Fujin onto his lap sweeping her hair from her face while lifting off the eye patch. He was surprised to see tears had coated the eye patch as well as her other eye.  
  
"I am so sorry, Fujin. I've let you down, I let Rajin down, and I got us into such a f*cking mess I don't know what to do with it anymore"  
  
Fujin tore her fingers away from his neck and coaxed his lips closed.  
  
"TRUST"  
  
"You shouldn't. I'm horrible inside, I'm evil, Fuu! I'm not worthy of..."  
  
"LOVE" Fujin interupted, again coaxing Seifer's lips closed, kissing the nape of his neck and continued,  
  
"FORGIVE" Seifer lowered his eyes again, letting his grip fail and easing Fujin off his lap and back onto the floor as he rose.  
  
"I can't be forgiven, not yet. Because of me, things are going to be destroyed, people will be destroyed, are you prepared to stand by me through something like that?"  
  
"PROMISE" Fujin said, standing as her eye grew darker with intensity.  
  
"I can't hold myself together any longer, Fujin. Her evil... her magic is taking control, making me evil. I don't think I can get through this." Seifer pleaded, sobs preparing to emanate from his body again, except for a different reason, as Fujin stripped her jacket, letting it caress his on the floor, and raising her shirt up and over her head to reveal her sports bra and many horrendous scars. Seifer shuddered, tears coming in disbelief as the scar from her throat draped down wraping around her back and continuing all the way down her abdomen before ending above her navel. Other less serious scars in different stages of healing or staying coated her body like body paint, as Seifer walked forward and carefully caressed one on her abdomen softly with his fingers.  
  
"This was evil, you are not." Fujin whispered painfully as Seifer's eyes grew wider as he noticed how speaking tortured the gashed scar on Fujin's throat before she closed the distance and kissed him hard on the lips. The kiss was harsh, almost painful in the need and dark origins, it seemed that Fujin was letting Seifer use her as a recepticle for the evil darkness he still felt shuddering through his bones. Yanking him down with her onto the bed, Fujin thrust her hands under his shirt, lifting it up and over and letting it drop soundly, feeling his flesh shudder at this intimate action, his face pant in want and confusion. Before it went any farther, Seifer sat up, kissing her hands as he held them tightly,   
  
"I... what happened to you?"  
  
"FATHER" Seifer gasped in shock, letting her arms fall as he swung his feet over his bed and punched the wall before uttering a bloodcurdling scream enveloped in pain, such pain.  
  
"What IS this? Everything is WRONG! The world is wrong, what I'm doing is wrong, we were about to do something wrong, and DAMN this war! Why can't I have something left untouched by the evils around? Don't I deserve something? How can you be so good and have that memory? I don't get it!!"   
  
Fujin stood, wrapped her arm around her as she walked and touched Seifer's chest with the other.  
  
"DESTINY. PURPOSE" her touch had a calming affect, and he reached out putting his arms around her bare waist, hugging her gently, but not letting go. Time passed, and Seifer came to realize what Fujin had been telling him all along.  
  
"If he hadn't done that to you, you wouldn't have run away. If I didn't leave Garden Squall wouldn't be in charge. If Edea doesn't do what she is doing, there would be something in the future that wouldn't work out. Okay, I get it. I'll accept that. Then what should I do?"  
  
"LIVE"  
  
"But Fu.."  
  
"HOPE"  
  
"Okay, But will you be there? Will you be with me? Can I be redeemed?" Seifer ended, whispering the last four words, trying hard to patch together a sentence of truth.   
  
Fujin took Seifer's face in her hands, wiping its sodden texture with her palms before rubbing his cheeks and allowing her fingers to rest between his ears and his eyes. All the soul Fujin possessed seemed to seep into the one word she spoke,  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
Seifer gave out a relieved laugh before picking the minute woman in his arms and setting his lips onto her neck, suckling softly as he peppered kisses along her jawline. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hung onto him death-do-them-part for an everlong minute.   
  
Abruptly, Rajin bounded through the door, saw the position his friends were in, slapped his knee and laughed heartily. Fujin let her legs fall to the floor, Seifer let his lips rise from the place they inhabited on her neck, and Rajin closed the door with a slam.  
  
"Ya know, you two are rich, ya know! It's a good thing Fujin's jacket covers her neck, ya know, 'cause she'll be seeing that in the morning, ya know!"  
  
Seifer looked at the hickey sideways, lightening up conciderably with Rajin's presence until Fujin turned red and stomped lightly on Seifer's foot before kicking Rajin. Seifer laughed, half embarassed, half content.  
  
"I really don't think it's that bad, you know." Seifer said, immediately covering his mouth at the sound of him copying Rajin's famous words. Fujin smirked, walking over to the pile of clothes and chucking Seifer his shirt, while tugging her own over her head.  
  
"I came in here to see if you guys wanted to train, ya know, instead I get a melodram theatre moment... maybe I should just see a movie, ya know? ... Cinderella's playing... anyways, ya know, I've been thinking, ya know" Rajin said, massaging his head,  
  
"About?" Seifer asked, sitting on his bed and motioning Fujin onto his lap as she tugged his shirt more securely around his waist.  
  
"What we're gonna do when this all ends, ya know?"   
  
"What do you mean?" Seifer said, seriousness tugging at the smile on his face.  
  
"Well, ya know, everything has an ending, ya know, but it doesn't mean life stops, ya know... time to be happy... ya know... I was thinking... what about Balamb?"  
  
"ESTHAR" Fujin said, giving in her piece.  
  
Seifer looked at his two friends, Rajin so full of hope, Fujin so dear, how can he let this down?  
  
"How about Balamb in the summer and Esthar in the winter? We don't have to settle on ONE place, do we? I've ... never mind" Seifer said, downcasting his eyes. Fujin raised his eyes to hers, kissing his cheek,  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"Nevermind"  
  
"C'mon, ya know... darn guy thinks he can stop in the middle of a sentence... heh! C'mon, fess up, ya know, we're the closest friends can get! Heck... Fu and you'll be more'n that soon enough.... ya know" Rajin bumbled, eliciting a blush from Fujin, and Seifer taking her more securely in his arms, leaning his back against the wall and resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Well... it's just... I guess" Fujin moved her head with every word Seifer spoke, until Seifer chuckled, "I've always wanted to sail. Just get a sailboat and live on it, going to whichever docks we please"  
  
He and his friends fell into silence, each pondering life at sea.  
  
"Complete with stops to Balamb and Esthar?" Rajin asked, awaking from his thinking state.  
  
"Yeah." Seifer said.  
  
"DEAL" Fujin announced, cementing the deal. Maybe there was hope in the future after all? 


	5. Dancing puppets

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WARNING: This chapter has some brief implied sexual content, it is not gratuitous, and does not go in depth, if you would rather not read the sexual content, feel free to skip to the next chapter after the bar line shaped like this: **********************. Thank you, this is where the story gets interesting, there's no stopping now.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - yes, yes it does. I try to keep Edea evil, but salvageable for that's the feel I got from the Video Game, plus... it's more fun. Especially with more than the one character, I like to keep a somewhat omniscience with the narration, that way I'm more open to everyone's emotions and not focussed solely on one.  
  
savggrl - hope I continue to satisfy your patience, and I hope I don't shock anyone too much with this chapter. Me being a Seifuu shipper, I hope it could have happened this way. Enjoy  
  
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'All are puppets, let us tangle the sky with our strings and melt away  
  
Before the fires of Hyperion dance and singe the dreadful and the dreamer  
  
May it be the life renewed, waltzing past light of noon and moon  
  
Tarry not long in the world of man, magic calls too loudly  
  
Becon, fall and wash away the dirt of all mortality  
  
Beyond the lightning hence, becon lovening hence,  
  
Dance for me, my puppet, dance with me my heart  
  
What is not heard cannot be silent  
  
Slivers of trust in the jointed thrust  
  
Dance with me a tangled string, until we are cut away,  
  
Dance for me fear and pain drift under foot decay'd  
  
Dance with me to rouse a loud volume,   
  
To consent is to be silent.'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum  
  
Above all, seing his friends intact left Seifer mysitfied with the peace companionship could bring. Rajin had taken them to a movie played in one of the ballrooms, and after it had finished, and all the other occupants had gone, Rajin flopped down with his back to a marble column and sighed. Fujin took a CD out of her pocket and placed it in the machine, letting the music sprinkle the room with its sensuality and emotion. The music itself was a sort of slow salsa with tango strings and an odd celtic lilting in the smooth voice of the man who sang words in another language. Seifer cocked his head as Fujin began dancing, beckoning him to join her, as Rajin shimmied over to his friend and gave him a push up with the bottoms of his feet.  
  
"Hey!" Seifer yelped, turning to the shrug and smirk on Rajin's face before Fujin grabbed Seifer's hands and pulled him into the middle of the floor. Seifer looked at Fujin, as she moved her body tenderly, fiery with just a hint of casual sensuality. It drove Seifer wild seeing her dance for him, until he huskily grabbed her into the starting position, swinging into the music, stepping carefully to the beat, releasing her into a spin, and back into the protective bond as the song ended, and Rajin snuck over to change the next track to a more racey tango.  
  
As the music began, Fujin ran her leg up Seifer's side, teasing him as Rajin walked to the door, shut it and locking it behind him acting as a Sentry so no one would disturb his friends. Seifer let his hand lower itself to the small of Fujin's back as she smoothly arched her back and bent herself around draping her arms around Seifer's back and neck as he lifted her and she swung her legs to his side, before they strode a few paces, and Fujin spun, Seifer leading her arm up in the air as he bent his mouth closer to breathe on her neck, kissing it quickly before letting himself spin and connect to Fujin again in first position before continuing the frenzied motions. Breathing heavier, the couple kept dancing, taking little nipping kisses at every opportunity the music allowed them, spinning and groping until the tango ended as Seifer and Fujin wiped the sweat from each other's faces, and a softer, more elegant slow song began breaking out soothing strains of guitar and a female voice warbling comfortingly, lovingly. The pair stood, slightly moving in circles across the floor, both Fujin's arms draping sensually along Seifer's neck, lifting herself higher as her jacket slipped open revealing a sweat soaked shirt, which had become see-through with the dampness. Seifer shrugged his greatcoat off, as Fujin's jacket fell, both continuing their dance with Fujin placing her forehead on Seifer's chest as he carefully lifted her off the floor and she anchored herself to him by twining her legs again, around his waist. Breaking the silence, Seifer stole a kiss on Fujin's forehead,  
  
"Would you like to finish this somewhere more private?" his voice came out a husky whisper, as he waited for his partner to give some sort of answer.  
  
"PASSION" Fujin answered, kissing his collarbone, and licking his sweat-salted neck with a quick tongue. As her answer would suggest, Seifer locked his lips on hers, swung her to better carry her along the corridors of Galbadia Garden. Outside the door, Rajin had just finished shooing off two privates, and the Lieutenant before he turned to see Fujin in Seifer's arms kissing.  
  
"Wow! You guys work fast, ya know! Don't worry about a thing, ya know, I'll take care of the stuff, ya know... heh... 'bout time... go on, ya know!" Rajin said, grinning, and slapping Seifer on the shoulder before strutting into the ballroom, taking out the CD and grabbing his friends' coats, exiting the room turning off the lights and bolting to Seifer's room in time to throw another CD in Seifer's music player and turn on the water in his shower. Seifer and Fujin came in, surprised Rajin beat them, as Fujin let go of Seifer's neck and straightened her hair.  
  
"Heh... just getting things ready for ya... bed yourselves well, ya know. I'll come back in the mornning, ya know... Don't worry 'bout any trouble, I got it covered, ya know..." Rajin said, giving Seifer another slap on the back, and giving Fujin a bear hug before bolting out of the room as Fujin went to kick him lightly. The door closed and locked, Rajin sat outside, staff in hand incase anyone tried to disturb his friends, he really loved those guys.   
  
***************************************************************  
  
Inside, Seifer and Fujin stood breathless and slightly awkward, stealing glances then slipping their eyes away.   
  
"Fujin... we don't have to... only if... I've never... Hyne, I love you" Seifer's voice melted out of his body, tying Fujin into a smile, as Seifer leaned a bit farther towards the love of his life, letting his arms feel the sides of her body. Seeing this would likely take forever, and just wanting to express her committment and love to the man standing shyly feeling her, Fujin lunged at her lover pouncing on his lips with her own, hungrily devouring their most passionate kiss in a flood of sexual tension. Seifer responded by grabbing her, ripping her shirt up and off her body, before she took his shirt off for him, and began kissing him again, as he lifted her up and half stumbled half walked into his bathroom and the awaiting steam of the shower. Disrobing completely, the two stepped inside, soaping each other and washing, kissing and groping, as Seifer scrubbed his partner's hair. After they were thoroughly washed, Seifer shut off the water, and without drying, carried Fujin back to the bed, on which they barely got to as they kissed and groped, falling into each other out of the need for comfort and some sort of truth and security from this cruel world. All Rajin could hear from outside, not like he wanted to hear anything, were groans, and moans before a final cry of release as the two lovers sank into the sheets that were damp from their showered bodies and fell to a deep sleep, satisfied and hoping. Chuckling to himself, Rajin stood up from his position on the floor, strolled to his room and laid down on the bed thinking how this would change so much. Change was a good thing, Rajin thought, looking out of his lone window at the crescent moon and thanking whomever's up there for giving his friends love. After all, if love can't change anything, what can? 


	6. Morning whispers & Cerberitic Playtime

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Back to the more chaste elements of the story: I appologise for offending anyone, but I needed to have a scene like that to further the story, plus... c',mon, 'bout time ya know. ;D  
  
Perfect Soldier 01- glad you liketh the fluffiness. Yes, I personally dance quite a bit [gets rid of tension quite thoroughly], so I just heated it up a notch and added a thorough sprinkling of passion.   
  
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Morning came not as a flood, but a gentle whisper, tugging softly at Seifer and Fujin's eyes like a lover softly nipping her partner's ear. Fujin could hear Seifer moan, snuggling himself further into the comforter on the tousled bedsheets, his back to her body. She loved him so much it hurt, so much the numbness of her coping mechanism from her father's abuse faded into a red and festering pain. But that was okay. She leaned herself into him, placing her head in the crook of his neck, as she massaged her arm over his back and stomac. He would help her, he would heal her, he had to give her hope, otherwise, she should just die. She thought of her journal, still occupying its place on the floor... we must have barely missed stepping on it she thought, letting her hand graze Seifer's palm as it stroked up and down Seifer's body. Well muscled, his body carried the length and breadth of a soldier, of a warrior, complete with hacks and a few tiny scars from training or battle. She could see the muscles rippling under his skin as he turned, they seemed to groan pleasantly with stiffness from the night before. One thing Fujin knew was that when Seifer fought, he threw his whole self into it, batering his soul for a victory in action. It was the same with love-making, and he had poured his entirety into her, giving himself so completely she knew she would never have to worry about being alone again; for how can you hurt someone who is yourself? Seifer must have known that she too had given her entirety to him, last night was more sacred than 1000 vows of chastity or blood and they both understood. Had it been a dream, Fujin knew she would have woken on the floor of her room, unable to allow herself the pleasure of such a warm comfortable bed.   
  
She never slept on a bed without someone, that much Rajin knew more than Seifer... she had too much memory of when... no. That part of her life was finished. She had a man now, she had someone who would protect her with his very soul, she didn't need to fear her father coming in the middle of the night, throttling her, drunk and breathing foul air into her nostrils as he held her against her will on her bed. She hated him. She hated what the alcohol and drugs did to her father. Jolting slightly, she noticed Seifer move, moaning softly as his body turned to lie on his back, it was then she realized her body had become hard, and her hand clenched as she thought about her torturer. Looking at Seifer's hazy, gentle sleep-filled face, Fujin noticed how unique Seifer was, how his own personal deamons constantly tried to coax him into some sort of derranged madness, and Fujin knew he needed her as much as she needed him. Easing herself further into the comforter, and Seifer's body, she laid her head on his chest smiling, but a bit soar while she replayed the night's events.  
  
After Rajin left, all Fujin could do was feel the burning passion of desire, and she let it overwhelm her like a thunderstorm's sheets of rain. When their energy was utterly spent, their souls twined together, they had fallen into the bed, and Seifer yanked the comforter around them, as they kissed chastely on the lips and Seifer settled Fujin into the crux of his arm gently. Neither had let go. Fujin felt that if she let go she would fall, and keep falling into a bottomless pit she would never get out of, but there was no pit, and all Fujin discovered after a few hours of calm, placid wonderfully refreshing sleep was that her muscles were just a bit soar, and by the way Seifer moved, his were too. Fujin planted a kiss on Seifer's jawline, eliciting another gentle moan as he allowed his head to blindly sink into his lover's, to kiss her cheek, then lips before easing his other arm over to plant itself on her back, turning to face her on his side. Mumbling something unintelligible, Seifer fluttered his eyes before slowly lifting his eyelids until the young woman in his arms came into a sleepily hazy focus.  
  
Sighing contentedly, Seifer smoothed his hands up and down her back, kissing the nape of her neck,  
  
"G'mornin' beautiful" he whispered, his vocal chords not letting any stronger sort of sound project out of his moistened lips. Fujin smiled and nodded, kissing Seifer again on the lips, while her leg felt up Seifer's side lazily and ended up stretched out bent at the knee.   
  
"Mmm. You prowler, you... maybe later" Seifer smiled, securing his hands on her back, as his words ran together barely intelligible. Fujin sighed pleasantly, stretched, and allowed her arms to flop on and above Seifer's shoulder and head.  
  
"I'm gonna enjoy waking up to you in the morning" Seifer said, fogginess starting to fade as the timeless moment stretched to a close. He noticed after he said that, Fujin twitched slightly, almost like when he first laid her on his bed a couple weeks ago. Puzzled, but too early in his day to get into a deep conversation, he kissed her on the cheek, and rose, stretching high before groaning shortly and massaging the back of his neck and giving it a stretch.  
  
"SOAR?" Fujin asked, getting up and bringing the sheet with her as a sort of makeshift robe.  
  
Seifer nodded, smirking, "You?" he asked, going into the only drawer on his bedside table for an extra pair of boxers, before fumbling them on and walking to the bathroom.  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE" Fujin said with vigour, following Seifer, and grunting with a cringe as her feet were met with a thin film of water from the night before. His bathroom looked like a danger zone. There was water coating the floor, along with a towel flung on the side of the shower, the shower curtain ripped off all but one hinge that held it suspended from a total place the floor, soap residue making it slippery enough to skate on, and the few personal products like toothpaste and deodorant spun in different places along with every movable piece of anything. Seifer stood mopping up a bit of the water-soap film with the towel already on the floor with his foot, as Fujin looked to the corner and her soggy clothes. Creasing her face into a frown, she turned to Seifer, who was draining the towel into the sink.  
  
"Something wrong, Fu?" Seifer asked, looking up from his partially dry towel's new place on the sinkboard.  
  
"CLOTHING"   
  
"I'd let you borrow mine, but I don't know how Edea would react to you in boxers and a t-shirt." Seifer joked, nearly slipping as they heard a knock and crash as the door flung open. Rajin entered, food tray in hand, and clothes under his arm,  
  
"My eyes are closed, ya know... don't kill me, ya know! Nearly 11:30... Edea's gonna have your hide, ya know... if you miss the meeting at noon, ya know" he bumbled, blindly stepping into the room. Seifer closed his arms as Fujin struggled with the sheet, until Seifer tugged it around her, and stepped out of the bathroom.  
  
"You can open your eyes, Rajin." he said, stepping into a crumpled pair of dark trousers as his friend put the food tray down, and held out the clothes.  
  
"Hope ya don't mind, but I got Fujin some extra clothes, ya know thought ya might need 'em ya know" Rajin said, smirking like an idiot, holding out the bundle of dry, folded clothes as a peace offering to his female friend currently clothed in a loose sheet. If it had been any other male going into Fujin's private clothing, she would have flattened him... and Fujin assured herself that Seifer would pound the poor sod into a bloody, indistinguishable pulp as well.   
  
"GRATITUDE" Fujin said, smiling slightly as she took the bundle and rushed backwards into the bathroom, blushing slightly as she noticed Rajin had taken her boxer-brief shorts and sports bra instead of her other undergarments. As Fujin was dressing and otherwise cleaning up, Rajin couldn't stop grinning at his friend, as Seifer shrugged his shirt over his shoulders with a grunt. Seifer caught Rajin's strange look,   
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothin', ya know... just glad"  
  
"About what? That Edea didn't vapourize us?" Seifer said, allowing a slight smirk.  
  
"Yes. That Edea didn't..." Rajin started, jostling himself with a shake, "No... can she do that?... nevermind... I'm glad 'cause it was her, ya know... that both your first times were together... ya couldn'ta picked a better one, ya know" Rajin bumbled, making Seifer slightly but happily uncomfortable, before Fujin slid open the bathroom door to reveal herself brushing her teeth with one hand as the other fluffed up her hair. She proceeded to bend down, grab her jacket off the pile that wasn't damp, and startled slightly as both guys looked at her partially sideways.  
  
"Do you have an extra toothbrush?" Rajin asked,  
  
"No, didn't you bring hers?" Seifer replied,  
  
"Nope... heh!" Rajin laughed, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to fiddle with the breakfast ... okay brunch plates before missing Fujin pointing to the toothbrush hanging out of her mouth when Seifer asked if it was his. She nodded, walked back into the bathroom and proceeded to pull out Seifer's comb set before garggling water. Seifer turned back to Rajin, who looked from the bathroom to his friend,  
  
"One thing, ya know." Seifer nodded, not entirely paying attention. Rajin grabbed Seifer's shoulder and forcibly faced it towards him,  
  
"I'm bein' serious, ya know. You do anything at all to hurt Fujin, and so help me I'll give you a beating to the best of my ability and then some, ya know. She's practically my sister, get my drift, ya know?" Seifer sneered slightly before easing his face, and placing a hand on Rajin's shoulder,  
  
"I promise you it will never come to that, and if it does, I won't put up a fight."   
  
"Good, ya know... Just wanted to clear that up, ya know" Rajin finished, released Seifer's shoulder, and passed Seifer his coffee before taking a bite out of an apple.  
  
"Oh, and Rajin?" Seifer said, preparing to take a sip, then feeling better of it,  
  
"It goes both ways... except for the sister thing" he finished gravely, as Fujin stepped out of the bathroom refreshed, walked up to Seifer and blew on his coffee for him. He kissed her cheek in thanks, and sat down with her on his lap, as Rajin handed her the cup of tea.   
  
Brunch was uneventful, and after parting with a lingering see-you-later kiss, Fujin left with Rajin in tow, as Seifer finished cleaning up and looked in the bathroom mirror one last time before trotting off to the meeting with Edea just a bit irritated that the see-you-later kiss couldn't have been a Rajin goodbye, hello bed kiss.  
  
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Seifer found his concentration lagged at the meeting, even talk of war plans and battle, which usually left him excited and powerful, bored him. What was going on? he thought, is this what happens when you love someone? he let his naivety linger, as he tapped his pen on the paper he was supposed to be intently thinking on. Just then, he heard the unmistakable clearing of Edea's throat, as she spoke with snark,  
  
"Shall we continue this meeting after you feel up to it, or may we continue our earth shattering plans?"  
  
Seifer bolted upright, scanning the page for the place he thought they have stopped,  
  
"Yes... no! No, that is not necessary, Sorceress, Edea, ...ma'am" shoot! Seifer thought, reddening slightly before Edea clicked her tongue, and said,  
  
"Well then, do you in all your worldy wisdom have any suggestions about the defeat of Garden?" Seifer thought for what felt like ages, but was only a second before putting his pen down in an official gesture and placing his hands flat on the page.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And what are they?" Edea said, her silky voice slithering into his ears with a shudder of temper.  
  
"Balamb Garden is now mobile, so we should present a surprise attack which would render her crippled. Then we take in our superior forces in three different waves leaving only the highest ranking officers inside this Garden to protect the Sorceress as a precautionary measure."  
  
"And how do you think the waves should go?"  
  
"First..." Seifer stumbled a bit, "launch motorcycle units onto Garden while they are still airborne, second, send in Personal Flying Squads to disable whatever systems they can and after Garden is crippled and open to the ground, send in a third and final wave of ground troops. That should be enough to take care of the higher ranking SeeDs, and any classmen who don't run."  
  
"But we don't just want the SeeD's I want all of them! We must kill them all! Down to the last child!" At this outburst from Edea, the hairs on Seifer's neck stood on end... he had not signed up to kill five year olds. Edea breathed deeply, letting her clenched fist rest before continuing,  
  
"We can expect with any plan that the whelp of a boy Squall Leonheart will launch a counter offensive, but what do you think we can do about it?"  
  
"Squall will get the upperclassmen to take care of the younger students, and probably leave Xu and Quistis to leading the SeeD troops. Other than that, I guarantee that unless he's killed in the initial onslaught, his friends and he will launch a guerilla attack here in this Garden, and attempt a further attack on the Sorceress. The friends he does not take with him directly, will probably help the other SeeD's and classmen in a defensive strategy."  
  
"What do you suppose we do to stop him?" Edea droned, moving her arms to signal the other chiefs of war.  
  
Seifer remembered something Fujin said about the Cerberus GF taking residence in Galbadia Garden's Training Center and silently blessed her,   
  
"I suggest letting the Training Center monsters loose and locking down the Garden. I also suggest leaving minimal troops and the zombie hockey team interspersed throughout, and that we summon Cerberus to guard the center of the main lobby. If by chance they get a way to bypass the lockdown and are not defeated by monsters or Cerberus, which is likely, I suggest we place Fujin and Rajin at the entrance to the stairs, and as a final resort, myself protecting the Sorceress in her throne room." he heard Edea chuckle slightly,   
  
"And if you fail?" she asked, letting her eyes seep into his brain. She made him uncomfortable.  
  
"If I fail, then nothing can stop them. I'm the best you've got." every word Seifer spoke exuded cocky confidence, and the back off attitude all were accustomed to, so Edea leaned back in her ornate chair, sighed, and closed the meeting.  
  
"Very well, Lieutenant, you will lead the Ground Troops, Colonel you will command the PFS, and Corporal, you will join the Motorcycle Berserkers. I suggest you all go prepare. Seifer will stay behind, we have much to discuss."   
  
As the others left, Seifer swore he could see a sneer plastered on the Lieutenant's face, as if to say, "you'd better not lose or she's mine". Seifer squirmed threateningly in his chair, his eyes shooting daggers at the Lieutenant cruely hoping that the Lieutenant died in battle, telling the Lieutenant that he had better watch his back or else. Alone with Edea, Seifer let out the breath he was holding, and waited for Edea to speak her piece. He didn't wait long.  
  
"I see all. Including the little midnight rendezvous with the little minnow. Couldn't wait could you? You had to have her now." Edea said, making Seifer cringe and pull himself further into the building darkness before he burst.  
  
"Not that I mind you pounding the minnow into submission, but let me make one thing perfectly clear. I will not tollerate you making love to that whisp of a girl in my halls, in my ballroom, and anywhere but the room I have provided for you. In there you can do what you wish, throttle her, burn her, cut her, I don't care, but you have been warned. The next time you shirk your duties for that.. thing... I will be forced to get the Lieutenant to rid you of her forever."  
  
Seifer could hardly contain his anger at her belittling of Fujin, but clenched his teeth and kept his mouth shut, boring holes in the wall behind Edea's head, secretly wishing Squall would win.  
  
"I do not like your plan of having your posse so close, but I will allow it, because if they fail, she will die, and if for some miracle they don't fail, they will have redeemed themselves as useful in my eyes. Whatever the outcome, pray you don't see Squall, and if you do, pray Fujin and Rajinfought their hardest and maybe I will be merciful, I doubt it, but having that brat Squall out of the way would certainly better my mood. Plus, Fujin is the only one other than myself who knew of Cerberus' presence here. She obviously gave you the idea of using him, and she can be the one to ask of his help. Now get out of my sight" she sneered, completely cold. Seifer stood, saluted and stepped towards the door before being stopped again.  
  
"Oh, and Seifer, if by some chance you happen to get that thing pregnant? I might just change her role, I would have use for the child in her womb, and she would be safe, but know this: the child will be mine." 


	7. Delving futures lasting hope

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As many who've played the Video Game will realise, Ultimecia has an accent... think mad-scientist... but in the portions of her speech, I don't add them because of understandibility issues.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Victims of abuse usually handle it in different ways [I speak from experience here], they either close themselves off from everyone, become anti-men, hate to be touched. The other usual patterns are them becoming hyper-obsessed over it, and wanting as much as they can get. What I'm doing with Fujin is pretty basic: to the outside world she's bitter and mysterious, but with Seifer and Rajin over the years she has learned to trust them, and has used her body as a testing ground for showing how she feels. Basically, Seifer is her only hope, he can heal her in ways even her sisterly relationship with Rajin can't. But more on that will come later on in the story. :) Remember, she was a little girl when it happened. I see what you're saying, though.  
  
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The Sorceress sighed heavily before vaporating a chair. It had been a harsh day. Damn this Edea and her moral sentimentality! To think she could be getting the upper hand again... I must concentrate. The Sorceress thought, feet practically floating to her throne, and the power it held. The throne was her mechanism for control, it was the embodiment of her magic, something solid that transcended time, just like Griever. She knew what was happening, she knew the past, saw the patterns, but this time one fundimental thing changed: Fujin. She had already tasted the pleasures of the Sorceress Knight, and he had given himself to her. She might be able to save him.  
  
"Ultimecia! Stop, please! Let them be happy!" Edea sobbed, screeching past the thought processes that kept the real persona of the Sorceress' body at bay. Ultimecia could see what made Edea uncomfortable, she had raised them. All of them except for the daughter of Calloway. She could still change things enough that Ultimecia could win. This was not supposed to be how it happened, her only course of action was to show Edea the future as it would be if Ultimecia had her will, so stretching a steaming brew of magic into the possessed woman, Ultimecia wove a tapestry of the future she was trying to create, plus or minus vengeful hatred for every living thing.  
  
Edea sank into a sovereign dankness, before righting herself and seeing Seifer sitting beside the Throne, his arm hanging over Fujin who sat one step below, her head resting on his chest and Rajin flanking him, standing armed and ready beside the Sorceress. Edea sat in her throne, she was holding court. Squall Leonheart, and his batch of SeeD cronies kneeled on the floor chained, as Edea saw herself wave her hand to blow them away. A blast of energy surrounded them, as Squall gave out a gutteral groan of battle, and threw himself over Rinoa. Quistis and Zell were blown to the other side of the room only slightly hurt, as Irvine threw his trench coat over Selphie and hugged her to him, kissing her harshly. As the dust settled, two of them were dead: Irvine laid crumpled over the body of Selphie, the ultimate sacrifice for the lovers. Zell moaned, and tried to get up, as his leg cracked, and he crumpled back down in pain. Quistis was quickly hustled into the arms of the Lieutenant, a fitting prize for a job well done as Squall rolled off Rinoa, and struggled to stand, Rinoa in the fetal position tangled slightly at his feet bleeding from a gash in her head and a bloody nose. Edea yelped, as she watched them take Irvine and Selphie's bodies, so peaceful, so free; Zell coughed blood, then growled low as the guards tried to lift him, and Seifer stood, bringing Fujin with him, motioning for 'Chicken-wuss' to be thrown into the Training Center. Tears fell freely out of Edea's eyes as Seifer circled Squall, Fujin stepping back beside Rajin, as Seifer spat on Rinoa, yanked Squall to his knees, but every time Seifer yanked Squall down, he would struggle back up. It didn't matter when Seifer took up Irvine's riffle, shot Squall in the leg, he still struggled back up, gritting his teeth and praying to something to get them out of the horror. Squall didn't have to wait long. Seifer told the guards to chain Squall and Rinoa facing each other, then to do whatever they wanted to her, saying casually to Squall that he could save Rinoa if he divulged the information of SeeD's allies and the whereabouts of Ellone. Squall merely gasped, fell to his knees, a tear straining to pluck at his eye, whispered something in Rinoa's ear, stood once more, stumbling up as shudders of pain were evidently passing through his body like tidal waves, and told Seifer to stuff it. Fujin came over to Seifer, put her arms on him in a side embrace, leaning her head onto Seifer's shoulder as Seifer bent down and kissed her gruffly before slinging his arm around her, snarling at Squall that he was happy Squall was such a tight-wad, and to make sure to tell Rinoa he could have saved her.   
  
Turning to the shadowed figure beside her, Edea pleaded,  
  
"Please no. They are only children! Do not do this"  
  
"There is more"  
  
The throne room scene shifted as a luxurious bedroom engulfed the pair, filling Edea's nostrils with perfume and fine wine. Scattered everywhere were the clothing Seifer and Fujin generally wore, Edea followed the line of clothing to the bed, where Seifer and Fujin were climaxing beneath the sheets, clinging to each other as release came and Seifer fell onto the bed, smiling like a predator after a meal. There was no love in that, Edea thought, sorrow engulfing her, making her question how hard it would be to fight, knowing full well that Ultimecia was trying to break her, trying to have a clean vessel to manipulate, but it would not be her. She looked back to the pair and shuddered as Fujin sat up in bed, bringing her knees to her chin, rocking herself slightly as tears soaked the sheets below her eyes. Letting out a sob, she gasped as Seifer opened his eyes to see her crying, holding her knees. She tried to scamper off the bed, blindly flailing for anything that would pry her free, but Seifer seized her and her yelp was broken off as he kissed her heartily on the lips. Fujin put up a brief struggle, before Seifer yanked her back down to the bed, uttered something about teaching Fujin her place and locking her hands down above her head as he kissed her again, completely breaking her spirit as a rush of wind left her, and she returned the kiss.  
  
"That is not how it is supposed to be." Edea whispered dejectedly, walking over to Fujin and placed a shadowed hand on her hair,  
  
"That is not how it is..." she gasped, turning back to Ultimecia with a surprised smile,   
  
"Fujin changed that! Seifer loves her! They've already committed themselves together in love! There's a difference... hope exists" Edea stammered, standing proudly as the scene shifted to Edea's will and revealed Seifer and Fujin in the ballroom.  
  
"The future is not set, there are different options one can take" Ultimecia spat,  
  
"Free will. They've proved theirs" Edea motioned to the dancing pair, swinging each other around and smiling seductively, and happily all at once.  
  
"They are fools. Fujin will never have a child if this becomes reality!" Ultimecia said, letting her concentration slip enough that Edea was able to take a look into Ultimecia's past. Gasping, Edea stepped back, the scene fading into what she had seen: Fujin sitting in a rocking chair, a child in her arms as Seifer walked in, smiled at the scene, kissed Fujin's forehead and the child's forehead as well. Edea looked to Ultimecia, she could swear Ultimecia had a tear in her eye as the Grey haired Sorceress spoke,  
  
"My mother never knew her father, he was killed at the hands of a vengeful Laguna Loire who, after the death of his son, blew a hole in Deling City big enough to rival the Lunar Cry crater in Trabia, that was the last time Fujin saw Seifer, one last kiss and he stepped out of Galbadia Garden to attend to business in Deling, where Ellone was rumoured to be. It was a trap. Laguna loured him there, massacred close to a million people just to end what he called madness. Fujin ended up running for the rest of her life, my mother in tow, Rajin acting as bodyguard and father to his friends' child. Eventually Esthar found them, sentenced the two to prison, but my mother fled, being raised by Ellone and an aging Dr. Odine. When a stranger appeared, and took my mother into his arms... she died when I was 76. So old... so fragile, she deserved to die, to stop the pain of living when she had nothing left to life for, so i ended her. And everyone else she cared about, why keep her lonely in the afterlife?"  
  
Edea was shocked at her own self, she had actually for a moment felt sympathetic.  
  
"You are nothing but a spoiled, insane brat. Do you think that because you couldn't control me that you would get me to justify your actions? When that failed, that you would make me pity you? Feel sorry for you? I don't. How dare you think about taking their love away, just because you are so bitter about having none yourself!"  
  
Ultimecia fumed, seeming to double her size and stare down the woman in black with firey eyes. Edea stood her ground,  
  
"You don't scare me anymore. I know all your secrets, your tactics, you need me! Tell me, Ultimecia, have you ever played chess with Diablos?"  
  
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Fujin sat in her room meditating, her Pinwheel behind her and a slight wind building up around her. She didn't notice when Seifer came in wielding Hyperion, she didn't even notice when he sat down on her too perfectly made bed, but she did notice when he breathed her name on the wind.  
  
"Fujin" his voice came softer than a whisper, and so completely engulfed in sadness, triumph, blood lust and brokeness her wind picked him up and brought her to rest on the floor beside him.  
  
"CONFLICTING" she stated, touching a finger to his scar as she opened her eye.  
  
"I didn't know you could do that" Seifer mumbled, his lips forming a question as his eyes sank back to the bed. Knowing what he was looking at, Fujin sighed,   
  
"ALONE"  
  
"Not anymore," Seifer said, taking her hands in his,  
  
"BATTLE?"  
  
"Soon... it help?" he asked, motioning with his head to her meditative stance.  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE" Fujin said, falling silent as she closed her eye and Seifer felt a tinge of a breeze building up around them again. He tried to close his eyes, concentrate on her image burned into his eyelids, the taste of her lips, the feel of her skin on his, the smell of her hair, the look of her beside him in the morning, but all he could think of was that damned beggar on the street corner.  
  
'No one ever looks at the corner, if they look at all, it's at the beggar in pity or disgust. But I look, I see what he is hiding, what he has behind him, under him, cloaked around him so snuggly it keeps the deamons away: he has love. There is a picture he holds in his hand, of him in better days, smiling with a lover in his arms, so happy, so free, so lost in each other that it doesn't matter what choices he will make, what time has done. Around the next corner could be oblivion, but it doesn't matter, because in the moment he is in, the beggar is happy, even though the lover is gone, even though he hasn't felt the lover's lips for endless moments, she is still with him, and that gives him comfort to get on the box just as hope gave the words to say upon it. Then I realise I am standing under the beggar's shadow, dressed in rags like him, both eyes open, and I am touching his arm, I am the lover. I have always been. I will always be, and I am always there, does he notice?'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum   
  
Rajin walked in the room clutching his staff, solemnly allowing his muscular bulk to graze the doorway before stepping into the whirlwind. He hated this part, this war, not to mention he heard the Lieutenant bragging about Edea's order concerning them. The Lieutenant was going to be drinking through a straw for a while.  
  
"Fu, Seifer. It's time, ya know" he said, knowing they would hear them, allowing the seriousness of his voice to tame the winds, as his posse came into view. Seifer stood, raised Fujin up and grabbed Hyperion, walking out of the door fast enough Rajin only caught a glimpse of the smirk gracing Seifer's lips. Rajin lowered his head, waiting for Fujin to follow, scanning the silver haired woman as she picked up her pinwheel and turned, her hair bending slightly before falling back to it's normal position. She was powerful. She was brave. He was awed at her ability to psyche up for battle, and he followed as she led the way. I've got your back Fu, he said silently, wishing that Fate didn't have a set path, that everything could change. Hurry Squall, hurry. 


	8. Whirlwind eyes and failing soldiers

============================================================Perfect Soldier 01 - clear up: Ultimecia was showing Edea the future as Ultimecia wanted it to be. Edea ended up coming to the conclusion that it didn't have to happen that way. Your welcome about Fujin's behaviour. Enjoy!  
  
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The battle was going well. Balamb Garden had seen Galbadia Garden, and managed to swerve in time to crash Galbadia too, but something like that was to be expected, Seifer knew about Nida. The first two waves had already hit, and SeeD was reeling, Xu commanding the troops just as expected. The Lieutenant, who was still holding his bleeding chin, was leading the ground troops in to take the younger classmen off the playing field. Report had come in of Squall's airborne rescue of Rinoa, which caused the SeeD troops to fight with greater vigour. Many SeeDs were regrouping in front of Balamb Garden with Quistis barking orders as her Trepies cleaned up the infiltration units inside, and protecting Dr. Kadowaki, who stubbornly stayed in her office. Squall, Rinoa, & Zell, had made for the gaping flesh wound in Galbadia Garden's side, Irvine providing enough cover to stop a herd of dragons as Selphie covered them with wall spells. Some of the younger classmen surrounded the pair, helping where they could as Xu barked orders to the SeeDs not needed for medic duties. Squall's SeeDs were holding, but it would not take long after the full third wave for it all to be over, the lines were cracking and somewhere in Seifer's heart it hurt. It hurt for him to watch from his safe location with Sorceress Edea, to see classmates cut down brutally with guns and blades, it hurt to see the anguish on the faces of people he would see in the cafeteria line up waiting for hot dogs. Another part of his heart hurt because he wasn't out there, because he wasn't fighting with them, whichever side he would choose, he just wanted to fight. Seeing Squall, Rinoa and Chicken-wuss booting it into Galbadia Garden made him twitch, grabbing the hilt of Hyperion in a futile attempt to psyche himself. He wanted to fight, but them again, if he fought Squall, it would mean that Fujin and Rajin failed, it would mean they had conquered Cerberus and had the GF in their weaponry, it would mean there would be no hockey team this year... Seifer chuckled, catching the eye of Edea as she waited like a zombie on her Throne.  
  
"You wish you were fighting, but for whom, I wonder?"  
  
Seifer turned from the window and looked at the Sorceress, his saviour from childhood, the one he was expected to save.  
  
"You know I could save her, I could take her out with you, always with you. What do you think Squall would do if he won? Would he let her live? Would he let you live? You know as well as I his morality, he would cause you great pain. Back out now, and Fujin's as good as dead, serve me, and I can give her to you. Fully, along with whatever you want. Do not fail me. Squall lives, she dies."  
  
"What about Rajin?"  
  
"To hell with Rajin! Do you really want more competition? I have seen the way he looks at her, you know of what I speak. He would have her for himself! Do you honestly think he is as stupid as he comes off as? Sacrifice him! He's worthless compared to her"  
  
Seifer found himself disgusted, a sneer strewn across his face as he thought of Rajin & Squall, as he sat beside the Throne and put his arm on it's arm rest. He couldn't believe Rajin had it in him, but he had seen the solemn look on Rajin's face as they left for the battle, as he stayed behind and looked a Fujin. How dare he look at her? She's mine! Seifer thought, mind reeling as Edea's lips curled into a sleek, slippery smile, gloating at the progress Seifer's mind was making. Ultimecia knew she wouldn't have Edea for much longer, and had to keep working on Seifer, so she continued,  
  
"What will you do to Squall?"  
  
"Kill him."  
  
"What will you do to Rajin?"  
  
"Rajin doesn't matter anymore"  
  
"What do you say?"  
  
"Thank you, Sorceress Edea"  
  
"Follow me."  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Good. They are coming, you know what to do."  
  
Seifer's lips sneered, his eyes shifting wickedly to the door wielding his Gunblade as Squall, Rinoa and Zell came barreling through. One last battle cry and he lept into them, knocking Rinoa over Zell as Squall parried and flung a blizzard in his face. Stumbling slightly, Seifer returned the blizzard with fire, streaking everything with crimson orange heat, striking Zell as Rinoa let loose her pinwheel, catching Seifer on the side as Zell backflipped away from the cold steel of Hyperion. Shrinking back, Seifer felt his body being protected as Edea cast Protect and Shell, stepping back to her throne as Seifer defended against Squall, and lept forward to counter Squall's blow. It worked, and Squall fell to his knees, Gunblade raucously skidding across the floor as he lost his grip. Lunging to grab it, Squall threw every bit of power into an ice spell, before hitting the floor hard and reaching his blade. Seifer cringed, letting loose a fire spell on himself exactly at the same time of ice, hoping to negate some of the blaring cold. It partially worked, but he still gasped at the sensation, Hyperion becoming heavy with frost, before he realised his mistake: Zell was wide open. Gritting his teeth, he threw Hyperion to the side where Zell lept forward, but Zell ducked and slammed his metal-knuckled fists into Seifer's stomac and chin, growling into it with enough force to plow through marble. If Edea hadn't... shoot! Seifer swore, cursing himself for thinking, for leaving a few seconds without attacking, enough for Rinoa to heal Squall's bleeding and burned gut and shoot her pinwheel at Seifer again, this time Seifer blocked it with Hyperion sending it skidding further into the massive marble throne room before running full blast at Rinoa and hacking Hyperion down and through in a fluid motion with a sickening shriek sending waves out from Rinoa. Squall screamed as Rinoa hit the floor, cringing but alive, and swung his Gunblade at Seifer, but Seifer lept back, blowing Squall a kiss before Zell struck at Seifer's side again. He swung mightly Hyperion at Zell's side, who faked right, and jumped over, flipping his body beyond Seifer, who at Zell's jump kneeled, raising Hyperion quickly above his head, cutting through Zell's shirt and graising the flesh of his belly enough that Zell landed hard on his side, doubling over holding himself. Fatal, Seifer thought, gloating over Chicken-wuss and preparing the final flame Zell would ever see... before feeling bitterly cold ice make the hair on his neck stand on end, before he turned around, fire spell running in an arc, melting a fraction of the ice Shiva, Ice Goddess of the GFs, had coated the room with. Squall stood behind Shiva, Rinoa cruxed in one of his arms, as Zell scrambled out of the way and Seifer cursed himself, defending as best he could, before feeling sick in the timeless moment that followed when he looked pleadingly in Edea's eyes. Except, they weren't Edea's eyes, they were cruel, relentlessly indifferent, she wasn't going to help him. His eyes turned back to the inhuman female before him, a towering vixen of eternal frost, and he thought of Fujin, so wonderful, so cold, so blue. Was this her fate? did she end like this? Did she utter his name before the ice surrounded her in an eternal frozen stillness? All the memories of him and his posse, of Rinoa, who stayed in Squall's arms now, of Zell who limped back to his fearless leader, at Squall... Squall. He looked triumphant, almost proud at summoning Shiva to finish him off, couldn't even fight himself, could he? Seifer's eyes connected with Squall's, he could feel the bitter cold running through Squall's veins, the scar Seifer gave him throbbing slightly as the muscles in Squall's face clenched in a visionless frown. I wonder if Rinoa likes the scar as much as Fuj... Seifer's mind again raced to the Silver haired woman who had lately graced his days, gasped his name in ecstacy, woke him in the morning, showed him what it was like to be a beggar, to be complete. Yeah, this is right. This is it, I hope they're happy, as much as I hate Squall, I hope they're happy, Seifer thought, smiling ironically at himself before just giving up.   
  
"Fujin!!!" he shouted, groaning wildly but no one heard him as Shiva, Goddess of Ice, sculpted her magic, and Seifer, being of fire, was blown away.  
  
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Fujin ran as fast as a whirlwind, surpassing Rajin's hulking form on their way up to the Throne Room. She knew Squall, Rinoa and Zell were going to be there, she knew he was going to try and kill Seifer, and she knew she had to stop them. This was madness! All for a Sorceress who hated them all. Rajin had told her of the Lieutenant's orders, that Seifer had known, had bartered his alliegance for the posse, for her and she couldn't just let him die. Directly in front lied the wreckage of monsterous bodies from a fight with Squall's group, she couldn't waste time on this. Fujin held her hand in front of her, weaving a tornado into the hallway, still running at breakneck speed towards the debris.   
  
Rajin heard her scream as she intensified the spell, slamming the tangle of monster remains and tortured metal & machinery to the sides of the hall before flinging her arm down and blasting them up the stairs like missles. He could see the sweat drops soaking her eye patch, she was concentrating too hard, he thought, his feet landing on the floor before she tumbled backwards into him, losing her own footing and panting quickly.  
  
"Breathe, ya know, just breathe" Rajin panted into her ear, holding her arms solidly in his own,  
  
"SEIFER" Fujin wailed, filling her lungs to burst with air before pushing off Rajin's musculed chest and grabbing his hand as she ran, him following closely. They got to the doors of the Throne room, except the doors laid splayed on the floor in pieces, the scene beyond them making Fujin yelp and pick up her pace.  
  
Shiva stood serenely before Seifer, weaving her magic around him like a blanket, she watched as his eyes changed from angered denial to acceptance of the price he was about to pay.  
  
Not today. she thought, manipulating the wind to buffer him a bit from the final portion of Shiva's massive spell.  
  
"Fujin!!!" she heard in the wind that trailed back to her before she gave up her strength to cocoon her lover in the wind, yanking the wind to her, sending Seifer with it, but it was too late: Seifer laid limp in the wind, Hyperion frozen into his palm as she saw Edea descend her throne, mutter something about useless mortals, snap her fingers and threw Shiva back into her icey corner of limbo. Whatever happened next didn't matter, she had to revive Seifer, who hung draped in her lap, blue with the cold. Fujin tore her gaze from Seifer to Rajin, who knelt reeling at the desperate wind display, all he could offer was a wave of thunder to shake the ice off, as Fujin cast a cure spell onto the pivotal blonde before laying him down and checking for a pulse.  
  
There wasn't one, so Fujin did the only thing she knew, thrusting her clenched fists into his stomach, once, twice, thrice, then covering his nose and sealing his mouth, breathing into his lungs. She repeated this until Seifer's body surged, choking slightly as Fujin flipped him to his side, rubbing his side and back as he sputtered, droplets of melted ice shaking off his hair until she found herself sliding down to look into his face, grabbing it and rubbing it in her hands as he shivered, breath shallow.  
  
"LIVE" Fujin said, kissing his nose as he faced her with his fragile green eyes, pleading with her to save his soul.  
  
"Come on, ya know... This is not a place we want to be" Rajin said, grabbing Seifer up in one arm, flinging him over his shoulder and taking Fujin's hand to pull her up as she grabbed Hyperion. Stabilizing the still shivering, winded blonde better on his shoulder, Rajin bolted the room, Fujin beside him, head blaring in pain as she formed another tornado to get them down the pulverised stair.   
  
Back in the center of Galbadia Garden, Rajin sat Seifer down, Fujin lept into his lap, straddling him, wrapping her arms around his body as best she could, surging forth capturing his lips powerfully. Perhaps this is what it's like to get another chance? To die and wake up on the other side? he thought, shivering only slightly as Fujin's warmth quickly faded into him. No, this isn't what it's like to die, this is what it's like to lose everything and beg for a second chance. Seifer gasped pathetically as Fujin disconected, as she let go, he didn't hold her down, he didn't even initiate another kiss, he just looked into her red eye and begged for it, knowing full well he could have taken charge of the moment, but also knowing it had to be Fujin's choice alone. He seemed to say all he ever wanted or needed was right there, in that moment, and words were very unnecessary, as she panted out a moan before giving him his wish.  
  
Rajin looked on at his two friends, his family and sighed contentedly, even though he kept a watchful eye for danger, after all they were in the middle of a war zone, this must be the eye of the hurricane. 


	9. Tunneling light chances taken

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Riverwood - intense, yes. thanks! Yeah, I decided to OOC them for a bit, hopefully, though I'll get them back to their canon characters in the long run. Hey, draw Fanart, I'll feature it on my site, eh?   
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - yes, I tend to update really fast. I don't think you'll have to wait too long for more.  
  
Platinum Angel - Seifer/Fujin is my favourite pairing in FF8 other than Irvine/Selphie. Hope you had fun in Costa Rica, I'd honour your reviews when you make them. Thanks!  
  
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''The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow of death a light has dawned' (Isaiah 9:2) and there will be sorrow no more. There is hope left, even for people like these. The Beggar and the Lover, both broken and wanting still have a string not broken, something to hold on to beyond the experiences of this bitterly broken world. Although only puppets in the grand tapestry of time, they will be everlasting testaments to the dances of time, willing all who do gaze upon them to review themselves. No one is unsalvageable, there is always a way to save every man, every woman. There has to be, otherwise there would be no hope for anyone so I will keep fighting, I will do what I can to get the Beggar to look down with his sun soaked face and carry me to him, hold me to him. Maybe we can save each other's souls.'  
  
-Nobus Ordo Saeclorum   
  
Running down the halls, Seifer called the order to retreat as whatever troops were left scattered around sealed themselves in defensive groups around the Centre of Galbadia Garden. Fujin followed, before darting past Seifer and down a decrepit hall, its walls bare and electrical wire bared freely spurting their dangerous contents.  
  
"FUJIN!!" Seifer yelled, trying to grab the silver haired woman before breaking his route and following her through the insanely dangerous route. Fujin held her hand in front, weaving yet another aero spell to tunnel through the wreckage as the sound of twisting metal made Seifer jump forward as the way they had come closed up from the pressure. Seifer lunged at Fujin, grabbing her waist and flinging her into a corner, flinging his body over her, the protect spell of Edea's lingering enough before fading with the impact of another cave in. Together they coughed, hacking through the air to breathe, Seifer put his head on Fujin's forehead, before she broke free again, tearing through the wreckage like a madwoman, screaming angrily as a random piece of metal sliced her arm but she kept going, ducking finally into Seifer's room.  
  
"Hyne!" Seifer spat, trailing her, bursting into the room in time to see Fujin pushing away some roofing and grabbing the Journal from its place on the floor. Seifer caught her, grabbing her shoulders in both hands and shaking her forcefully to face him.  
  
"Freaking hell, what are you thinking?"  
  
"JOURNAL"  
  
"You risked your life for a book?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"You could have been killed!" Seifer shouted, shaking her shoulders again as she gasped in pain over the blood soaking her arm. Seifer coiled his fingers around the gash, shaking her body in absolute panicked rage.   
  
"What are you insane!?"  
  
"MEMORY!"  
  
"To hell with memory! I don't want to bury you! You're all I got, Fu"  
  
"RAJIN" Fujin choked back, hugging the book closer to her before the room croaked, metal imploding, crashing through the doorway, blocking them inside.  
  
"Rajin doesn't matter! I almost lost you because of some stupid..."  
  
"I did this for you!!" Fujin screamed, tearing herself away from his infuriated eyes, stumbling backwards into what was Seifer's bed.  
  
"But Fujin, it's not worth risking your life for"   
  
"ARE YOU?" Fujin reproached, Seifer cringed stepping backward,   
  
"I can't SAVE you here!"  
  
"LOVE!"  
  
"I love you too much to lose you like this" Seifer said quieter, stepping closer, letting her fall into him as she flinched in pain. Not knowing what else to do, Seifer stumbled onto the floor, Fujin in his arms, before the light above his head caught his eye, flickered, as he gripped her head back, invading her mouth with his and stealing a kiss. Fujin's eye opened wide, fear sending a shiver down her back as she remembered the pain of her father and struggled away, crying out in pain as her arm spasmed and fresh blood began seeping through the cloth. Shocked, Seifer knelt forward only to have Fujin slink further into the fetal position mingling her body with the wreckage.  
  
"Fujin?" he asked, not realising the gravity of his action. It didn't take more than a whimper from her lips for him to understand. Sneering at himself he yelled,   
  
"Damn! I try to do something good and fail! No matter what it is, there is always something evil in me!" he barked, raising his arms in frustrated defeat. Another screech of tortured metal, and Fujin scrambled into him, slamming her body against his chest, winding him briefly, but he recovered fast and latched onto her, covering her body with his own as more debris came trickling down, cutting into Seifer's back. Through the hushed silence after the tremor, Fujin could hear Seifer mutter something into her hair.   
  
"What do I do? Hyne! What do I do!" Fujin shifted, rising onto her knees facing the distraught man, taking Seifer's hand and placing it on top of hers on her hurt arm, taking the other and entwining her fingers in his.  
  
"I never meant to hurt you" he whispered darkly, his voice husky with dust, pain and ebbing rage. Fujin raised his hand up to her lips, kissing it softly,   
  
"MEDITATE"  
  
"What good will that do?"   
  
"WIND" she said, as Seifer trailed his forehead down to touch hers,  
  
"This is why I love you"  
  
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Rajin booked it past the posts of guards and soldiers who scrambled to get Galbadia Garden running at top speed before slamming into the Lieutenant. Slamming the smaller man onto the wall by his uniform collar, Rajin barked furiously at him,  
  
"Where are they, ya know?!"  
  
"I ... they disapeared!"  
  
"So help me if you've!"  
  
"Cool it, Captain! I didn't do anything! All I know is Sorceress Edea collapsed, the SeeD's have been parading in victory and Commander has been scattering through the halls screaming Retreat!! with that tasty little morsel... probably went to have a little one on one" the Lieutenant gasped in pain as Rajin slammed his body at the wall again, cutting off the air supply and pounding his fist into the man's stomach.   
  
"WHERE?!?"  
  
"The Dorms" Rajin dropped the Lieutenant who coughed up blood and spat at Rajin's feet.  
  
"Can I go now? Someone's got to get Garden back up and running" the Lieutenant sneered, wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth with a raggedly uniformed arm. He didn't wait for an answer. Rajin slugged him in the stomach again before calling a medic and saying if the Lieutenant did anything funny to throw him in the Training Center.   
  
There came a time with Rajin that if he was pushed too far, too hard he would lose the happy, clueless exterior and start slugging things. Don't figure him wrong, he was still clueless, but he just wouldn't take anyone's bull anymore. After sweeping the west wing of Galbadia Garden and ordering the retreat to the troops pummelling Balamb's SeeDs, he wanted to stand behind Seifer or someone with more authority, but Edea was out, and Seifer had dissapeared with Fujin which basically meant he was the highest ranking officer present, alive or not seriously wounded. Rajin wasn't much for leadership, he'd rather be told what to do and now that Seifer and Fujin had gone missing... he didn't want to think about the consequences. Point being: Rajin was the muscle, the hired hand, the one who did things under the table and he was good at it. Of course he was also good at keeping things light and taking whatever Fujin dished at him, but that was irrelevant at this point. He needed them, end of story. So there he was, running at hurtling speeds towards the Dorms, and Seifer's room before pulling a Fujin and blasting away the debris in his path with magic.  
  
By the time he reached the hallway to Seifer's room, he had exausted his supply of thunder spells, and was panting raggedly before pushing a huge pile of metal and roofing with his back, legs braced into the floor. His voice gurgled a shout of pain, rage and desperation as every muscle in his body shoved the debris to the side, revealing Fujin and Seifer in a small hurricane of wind.  
  
"Hey, ya know! Let's go!" Rajin said, stumbling forward before noticing that as the lovers disconnected, and the meditation was broken, the walls of Seifer's room imploded. Fujin was thrust in Rajin's direction and he caught her before leaning in to grab Seifer's forearm, pulling him free as he screamed with rage. Landing on Fujin protectively, Rajin noticed the blood seeping through the gashes on Seifer's greatcoat, and the way he favoured his ankle getting up and moving. Fujin stabilized him as Rajin came alongside and practically carried his buddy out of the tunnel of wreckage and into the safer pathways to the center of Galbadia Garden.  
  
Once they got to Command Central, Seifer took command, barking orders, getting crews up and running as Galbadia Garden croaked up to life and Seifer had the earge to check the Throne Room for anything with Edea surrounding it.  
  
--------------------------------------- one month later...  
  
Seifer stood outside Lunatic Pandora, his new boss, Adel... or rather Ultimecia giving orders from the Throne, literally. He found her a much crueler master than Edea, and cursed himself for not running when he had the chance. What am I thinking? he thought, leaning against a pillar, hearing the unmistakable footsteps of Fujin honing in on him. I never run. he finished the thought before turning at her touch on his arm, she had been sleeping with him almost every night sex or not, but with the strain of commanding troops and serving Ultimecia, the sex became more of a release of tension than love, and Fujin knew it. But she still stayed, no matter how much it hurt. She loved him, and he knew it. Turning to look at her one good eye, his attempt at being a stoic gargoyle faded slightly as she smiled concernedly up at him.  
  
"EAT" she said, offering him food on a plate.  
  
"You first"  
  
"STRENGTH" she pleaded again, raising the ration up to him.  
  
"I'm not hungry"  
  
"BREAKFAST"  
  
"I SAID I'm not friggin' hungry!" he yelled, sounding harder than he meant to. Darn, now she'll be all upset again, he thought, as Fujin threw her gaze to the floor, before turning quickly, running back into their room and throwing the food on a small table. It was morning, and the Estharian landscape held the most brilliant display of crimson and vermillion dawns speckled with blues and golds along the mountains. Having little time to contemplate the landscape further, he jogged inside, hearing a faint heaving in the bathroom. Frowning slightly, he entered the small sterile space to find Fujin throwing up in the toilet. Calmly, he knelt beside her and lifted her hair out of the way, rubbing her back in slow motions as she heaved again and coughed slightly. After flushing, Seifer washed Fujin's face, forcing some water into her, watching her spit it out and look up at his secure form holding her up in fragile thanks. Gripping the side of the sinkboard, Fujin pulled herself fully up, Seifer walking her back to the table, sitting her down beside him before stroking her hair back behind her ear.  
  
"That's the second time this week." he said, passing her a glass of milk from the tray.  
  
"THIRD" Fujin corrected, guzzling down the milk, putting down the empty glass and wiping her mouth with the other sleeve. Seifer's frowning forehead creased more, as he saw Fujin's back shiver. Picking her minute form up and nestling her into his lap, Seifer felt her forehead, clicking his tongue slightly at the heat on her head. Fujin nestled her head further into his neck, draping one of her arms around his chest and another around his back.  
  
"I know you havn't been sleeping well either. I don't want to have to worry about your health Fujin, I have enough on my mind" Fujin stirred, she loved his warmth, even though he had been growing distant, she relished their nights, always knowing she could gaze at his strong face sleeping beside her when she woke from another memory. They didn't often come, just since he'd been acting more indifferent towards her. She would prove her strength, she was no weakling.  
  
"EAT" she said, taking a slice of toast from the meager meal, biting a piece before offering to to Seifer. He refused it, so she swung her leg around to straddle him,   
  
"FEED" she continued, thrusting the bread to his lips. Seifer chuckled darkly, Fujin was no weakling.   
  
"Alright, you'll spoon feed me if I don't eat. Only if you eat, too"  
  
"DEAL"   
  
The meal ended with the two lovers falling in bed, clothes strewn along the floor, Fujin in total control. Satiated, they dressed, kissing the exposed bits of flesh as they covered them, Fujin and Seifer both vying for superiority as they kissed, until the Lieutenant came into view. Ripping himself away from her, Seifer reased his eyes and barked,  
  
"How long have you been there?"  
  
"Orders, General Almasy. Should you choose to give them lip service" the Lieutenant huffed, holding out the document. Fujin shifted her jacket over her shirt and spat,  
  
"INSIGNIFICANT" before slapping him and taking her place one step behind Seifer.   
  
Reading the orders over, Seifer smiled,  
  
"We attack Esthar today. Get the troops prepared. And, Lieutenant? come in here unnoticed, or without permission again and I will kill you."  
  
"Yessir" the Lieutenant saluted, turning to go, smirking slightly before winking at Fujin evily and exiting the room. Fuming, Fujin ran for her pinwheel, but Seifer caught her, swung her into his embrace roughly,  
  
"Lay off Fujin, he's mine"  
  
"TIME?"   
  
"After this is all over, concider it an engagement present" he spoke darkly, his eyes burning into her absolutely truthful. Taken slightly aback, Fujin nodded, reaching up and kissing Seifer passionately, wrenching him down to her height. After several moments of making-out,   
  
"RING?" Fujin asked, holding out her palm as if expecting him to pay up.  
  
"This'll have to do" he answered, pulling her up to his level and capturing her lips possessively, devoid of specified romance, but laced with it instead. Gasping for air, Seifer let go, and Fujin slid her feet to the ground, reaching for one last kiss before what was to be their last battle. 


	10. Am I free, or do I follow?

=============================================================ANNOUNCEMENT: This chapter might seem a bit out of place, but trust that I know what I'm doing... at least a little bit. And some things were NOT in the game: read it anyways. Sorry for the delay, what I have feared has happened: Writer's Block. I let the fic slip for a day, and lost my train of thought. If anything, this is a chapter to get it back.  
  
Riverwood - yes, they are moving fast, that's the point. Heh. don't worry, though, I'm not going to write anything that would increase the rating: I've already done the raciest I'll attempt in this fic.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - thanks. I make certain I am feeling a bit of the emotion I'm writing about when I do it, so it'll be more real. [think musical impulses] Hope you enjoy.  
  
Platinum Angel - Kudos for the longest review ever! As a reward... I'll *looks around room* give you yet another chapter! YAAAYYY!!!!! ... well thank you for the time [I do LOVE reviews], and thanks for saying such nice things. Yes, I do have some OOC-ness quirking its way through the characters, but I think in this story it adds to it. Description is my forte, I'm a completely visual person, so sometimes writing doesn't do my thoughts justice, but sometimes I score and get the written word to pop. Rajin is one of my favourite characters, although kinda dopey, it is clear he has a heart and I wanted to portray that, plus he IS a warrior, why else would he want to be a SeeD, ya know? I tried to make Seifer's progression into sulkiness gradual, and a bit dark, so as I fall through the climax of this particular story [not unlike Alice's fall through the Rabbit Hole] I hope to weave Seifer's antagonistic behaviour through his actions with Squall's crew and Esthar [MAJORHINTINGHERE]. Yes, kind of a gruff engagement, isn't it? He didn't even ask, just told her, almost like commands, dontcha think? Okay, after the longest shout out in existence I am going to get myself a nice cup of tea and a biscuit before continuing with what will be undoubtably the most enigmatic chapter yet. Enjoy.   
  
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Laguna Loire stood in the passenger bay of a ship he never thought he would revisit. Then again, he never thought he would see himself marry such a beautiful woman, defeat a Sorceress to save Ellone, become President of Esthar, watch his son fall in love with his first love's daughter, tell Squall he was his father, go to save Ellone yet again, and save his country from a glorified hunk of marble, a teenage rival of his son and some futuristic b*tch with megalomaniachal tendencies. All in all, tangling his hair in his comb in the morning was all Laguna COULD expect from life with any certainty. Hands in his pockets, Laguna remenisqued. The club in Deling City where Julia got her start, infiltrating the hunk of luminescent rock Lunatic Pandora, falling off a cliff and waking to the most beautiful face in Hyne's holy creation, wanting nothing more than to stay in Winhill while travelling the world. Laguna always wanted the best he could get his hands on, even if he did mess it all up, but staying in Winhill with Raine, raising Ellone as a family was one thing he didn't mess up. He could remember the smell of her flowers, she always loved flowers... grew thousands of 'em... even sending seeds away to her sister in Centra... who would have thought that sister would be Edea the mighty Sorceress. Laguna chuckled to himself, remembering the time he had taken Raine and Ellone to Edea's House for an anniversary present, being shuffled into the stone building to find the mighty Sorceress Edea covered in flour holding the remains of some poor bird in disbelief that it could possibly burn. At least the buns came out nice... he remembered sitting on the beach with Raine, Ellone had already been put to bed by an overeager Edea, and just sitting there holding his wife in his arms. The sunrise wasn't particularly beautiful, in retrospect, there was a storm coming that delayed their return to Winhill by two days, much like today's weather he mused, continuing the memory. The wind was just beginning to send small tendrils of sea air and sparkles of water to pucker the two lovers, but it didn't matter: it was beautiful. He could remember Raine nuzzling her head into his shoulder, lazing her arms around his own and sighing contentedly, it didn't matter how long they'd have left, Laguna thought 19 years later, they had found such passionate love, such joy and fulfillment that whatever evils stole him away from her could never steal away the smell of her, the colour of her hair, her need for alone time. They were all preserved, not just in memory but in their son.   
  
Their son! It still amazed Laguna that they had a child, and although he was sorry he couldn't have been there for Raine, although he still cried some nights thinking of how he might have saved her, he only took one look at Ellone, all grown up and beautiful, and stood proud, knowing that if by some chance he had saved Raine, been there to raise Squall and whatever children after, there would have been many good times for them, yes but the rest of the world would be lost. He could remember all too well when word reached him of Raine's death, of the birth of Squall, of the desperate wailing that ensued as he tried to leave, tried to go back to Winhill, at least see her funeral, but that was not to be. Edea and Cid brought Ellone and the little baby to Esthar as soon as they were able, Laguna remembered meeting them at the entrance to Esthar, not even wanting to look at his son. He just broke down, crying his wimpy eyes out, sitting with his back against the wall on the floor. The mighty President of Esthar brought down by a babe. Ellone had sauntered over, crying, and slipped her frail female body into his arms, trying as hard as she could to reach her stubby kid arms around his grown-up bulk, pleading with Unc'l Laaguunaa to see Raine's baby, his little boy. She said the people in town were crying, saying nasty things about the foreigner who stole Raine away from them, how he'd probably not even look at the child she sacrificed herself for. Laguna sniffled, wiping his red eyes with his palms, panting slightly as he tried to look up, as he tried to do something other than crying. He ended up hugging Ellone, then jostling himself as Edea bent down to place the sleeping baby in his arms. At first, he stiffened, rejecting the boy, but then that little boy yawned, attempting to flex his little baby muscles away from the restricting blanket and Laguna smiled, then laughed, cradling the babe nervously in one arm,   
  
"Hey there lil' fella" he whispered, waving his index finger at the boy's face, shifting the blanket slightly to get a better look, surprised as the boy opened his eyes slowly, one at a time and looked up at him, he had such powerful, ancient eyes.  
  
"Hi," Laguna said a little louder, captivated with the eyes so close to his own, yet... those eyes reminded him so much of that night he and Raine spent on the beach watching the summer squall roll in. Squall!  
  
"Hi... Squall, hey there son. This is daddy, can you say daddy?" he cooed, fingering Squall's nose,  
  
"I doubt he's old enough for that, dear." Edea said, reminding Laguna that there were other people in the room.   
  
Long times have passed since then, and Esthar being in so much turmoil at the time, Laguna, Edea and to a lesser part Cid decided it would be best for Ellone and Squall to be taken to Edea's growing orphanage and grow up with last names other than Loire so as to not have vengeful people try and hurt them. Plus, Cid noted, Laguna was too absent minded to raise two children in a glorified war zone, of course at the time, Cid had been looking for the glasses he had on his nose, but that wasn't important. Giving another chuckle, Laguna gazed out the window, and wished he had contacted Squall years ago, but had discussed with Cid every moment business allowed about Squall's progress, even forking out the money for the uber-expensive Gunblade Squall had taken for granted. He didn't even think Squall knew how he could have such good things with the revenue of Garden, but Laguna had fully planned to tell Squall about his parentage etc, on his 18th birthday, which as fate would decide was four months away. Laguna heard the steel-toed footsteps of his son walking up to him, and turned right before Squall was about to make himself known.  
  
The look on Squall's face was worth it. Come to think of it, everything that's happened in the past 25 years was worth it, even the bad military food.   
  
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'The sands of time don't pour out of a jar, they cry softly out of Fate's eyes, creating such a lake of colour and texture, even the strongest could never get out of it's liquor. Just as water is in every one of us, so is time, so is destiny, for what is time but the fulfillment of destiny? Sometimes I see the world and cry, every tear wishing something good to come of it, for if the ending is not good, then it can't be the end. This is not to say there are no evil people that deserve a bad end, but when something so painful in your life happens, when everything seems to go utterly wrong, how worse can it get? Even pain can be a pleasure when you're surrounded by comfort, by love, by that ever elusive dawning of hope. Akin to a dance and a song, life surges onward, forever on, never stopping, never yeilding; when people say that life is passing them by, it's only because they are clinging to a jetty and not letting the current sweep them away. So I have learned to let go, to not cling to any pain or pleasure but contain in myself the natural elements and fight when attacked, eat when hungry, and never be the villain. If it can be explained, is it really worth that much protecting? How much is the worth of the world?'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum  
  
Seifer stood tall, like a god spewing lightening on unsuspecting mortals. Barking orders and threatening lives, he lashed out at all who didn't do exactly what he said when he said it. This included Rajin. Fujin grimaced at the strides Seifer was taking to keep Rajin away. It came to her that maybe he was worried, scared she would suddenly deny him, run into the arms of the bronze berserker but he had nothing to fear. Looking at him, she could see the minute wrinkles under his eyes, signs that he was about to snap and needed a break, but none would be found. The scouts had spotted Ragnarok, the Estharian flagship, heading right for them. It could only mean one thing: Squall wasn't going to wait any longer.   
  
'fog drifts into the streets coating everything in a veil of mystique.  
  
"Are you coming to find me? Are you here for me?"  
  
the mist answers with a sigh,  
  
'Follow me, enter the magic: We will carry you home'  
  
the mist is getting thicker now, a change in the weather  
  
"Be the one that saves me"  
  
beyond the fold of mortal fog a mist speaks and tells of all  
  
I will go, I will follow beyond the mist into the place of salvation  
  
maybe the forest still stands, the castles, the mystery  
  
something to bring me to that place where I can be happy  
  
Is that what I want? Happiness? Reality is harsh, bitter and pained  
  
While surreality is harsher, more bitter, and utterly painful, it is also  
  
joy. a place where all inner secrets can be unleashed  
  
the fog is receeding will I join it? Will I run from this?  
  
what will be my answer, to become a wanderer for the rest of my days?  
  
I choose the wind, I choose the mist, may I run, may I travel  
  
may my eyes be opened  
  
I am free  
  
or do I follow? '  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum 


	11. Blinding Tides

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ANNOUNCEMENT: I have commandeered the last chapter [the former chapter 11] and modified it, for after re-reading it, found it so hiddeously horrid, I couldn't go on. This, I hope, is much better.The plot varies a bit from the game here, please enjoy nonetheless.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Pictures? Yep. Alrighty then, I'll start scanning them into the computer and uploading them on my site. [the one on my profile]. Yes, Laguna being one of my favourite characters, I decided to make him a part of this fic. Oh music, the religion of my soul! *achem* enough melodram for me, eh?  
  
Prodigy - glad you've decided to take a gander! Hope you stick around for a while.  
  
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"BREAK"  
  
"Not now"  
  
"TIME"  
  
"Go away."  
  
"SEIFER!"  
  
"I said LEAVE, you bit... Fuu... I... you know I didn't mean it"  
  
Fujin leaned dejectedly on the doorway to the war room holding her arm, gaze on the floor. Seifer was pouring over skematic maps of Lunatic Pandora, scanning for any trace of a weakness Squall's cronies could use as an advantage... it just wasn't there! And that infuriated him, he had to know, to exploit the weakness and trap Squall, to show he was the better man. He had been working so hard his eyes were fuzzing over and the food Fujin left on the table sat untouched. He leaned forward from the map to look at her, like a statue blocking his way, threatening his superiority.  
  
"Fujin... come here" he said, waving her closer... she didn't budge.  
  
Giving out an annoyed sigh, he stood tall, flinging his arms out,  
  
"What am I supposed to do, beg?" Fujin wrenched her face up at him, staring him down, challenging him. Instead of giving in, he strode forward, knocking a chair out of his way as Fujin braced herself. He was standing mere inches from her body, looking down at her with his taller frame, face reddening, about to spew some command down at her, trying to win the small battle, but she just gazed at him, a bastion of strength, knowing his innmost places and what his tactics were. She was shocked when he shoved his hand at her, stopping only centimetres from her face before cringing back into himself and stumbling backward into a chair, hand leaned on his forehead. Stepping forward, Fujin could hear Seifer's ragged breathing, and the whispers spewing out of it,  
  
"Hyne... I could've... Hyne this is too much"  
  
"SIDE" Fujin said, looking the maps over, shifting them with a few fingers.  
  
"What?" Seifer looked up, thoroughly confused,  
  
"HERE" Fujin said, taking one of Seifer's fingers and placing it on the spot.  
  
"They'd never attack there, Fu... it's too protected... For all they know it could be nothing but a section of rock."  
  
"LAGUNA"  
  
"The President of Esthar? What has he to do with anything?"  
  
"HERE"  
  
"Laguna Loire has been in Lunatic Pandora?"  
  
"THINK!" Fujin rolled her eyes before smirking minutely at Seifer's recollection skills.  
  
Seifer sighed pointedly, remembering the history of the last man to defeat the Sorceress.  
  
"Okay, if Laguna knows the layout, then... where would he attack? We can suppose Squall will go for a frontal assault, but what about Laguna?" Seifer leaned closer to the maps, placing an arm around Fujin, his hand on the map blocking her in closer to him. She leaned closer to the maps and her lover, still holding his hand on the spot.  
  
"CHAMBER"  
  
"Not our bedroom, I hope" Seifer smirked, running his hand along the table, before tracing Fujin's waist and setting her down on his lap. Fujin laced her free arm around Seifer's neck, bringing him closer before tugging his head to the spot with their fingers.  
  
"Logic?"  
  
"SIDE WITH CHAMBER"  
  
"Right, because the other sides have too much rock, the control center, and again with the rock... we've found our weakness" he gloated, running his head up from the maps, tracing Fujin's shoulder, neck and cheek with his lips, kissing her temple quickly, sitting straighter, shifting the maps to a closer one of the section.  
  
"Okay, the most logical entry point his here," he pointed, "So what we'll do is..."  
  
"EMPTY"   
  
"We have to defend it Fujin"  
  
"RAGNAROK"  
  
"Yes! I remember from the plans Adel showed me, the Ragnarok is heavily armed, like a dragon... but they'll never get past our shields"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"They will get past our shields, so having nothing there will mean no casualties, then in the corridor... here" he said, moving Fujin's finger to the only corridor out of the gigantic chamber,  
  
"We'll post some troops"  
  
"US"  
  
"You?"  
  
"RAJIN, ME"  
  
"... No."  
  
"DEFEATED"  
  
"I'm not going to put you in there, Fujin."  
  
"STRONG"  
  
"I know you're my strongest warriors, but..."  
  
"LOGICAL"  
  
"I won't have you killed!"  
  
"BALAMB!"  
  
"Revenge?"  
  
"STRONGER"  
  
"Fujin, will you just tell me what you're thinking?"  
  
"PROVE MYSELF" Fujin whispered, shifting her gaze from the Seifer to the maps, instead of saying anything, Seifer took her hand in his and kissed it, pulling her body snuggly against him with the other,   
  
"You have nothing to prove" he said, face set grimly, leaning up and kissing her on the lips, long and hard, letting all the insecurities about the coming battle slink away, Fujin did the same. Sitting together, Fujin turned in Seifer's lap so her back lay against his chest, as his arms laced around her stomach, he placed his chin on the place between her neck and shoulder, pouring over the maps one last time, making certain his calculations weren't going to get them killed.   
  
Slowly, methodically he massaged Fujin's stomach as his other arm shifted the maps before his hands froze as the hand on her stomach rested directly on the lower part of her abdomen. Fujin shrinked away from him slightly, placing her hand on where his rested on her womb, lifting it away and intertwining their fingers. Kissing his fingers one by one, she shifted to face him, he searched her face for the answer he sought, she grabbed his neck and kissed him passionately, as he groaned into her mouth, gently pulling her chin away with a displaced hand.   
  
"Fujin?" he asked, locking her eye with his, jostling her face slightly when she looked down,  
  
"Please..." a large bang interrupted him, as the couple could hear remote shooting bursting into the air.  
  
"Sh*t!" Seifer cringed, Fujin leaping up as Rajin barreled through the door,  
  
"C'mon, ya know... they're approaching fast!"  
  
Fujin ran for the door, Seifer trailing her, grabbing Hyperion and reaching the place where Fujin and he were parting way.  
  
"SEIFER!" Fujin called, trailing where Rajin waited for her to follow. Seifer turned, shrugging his shoulders, asking the question,  
  
"LOVE" she screamed desperately, Seifer nodded, blew a kiss and was gone.  
  
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The smell of explosives permeated the air, souping up a powerfully pungent fog around the scrambling Galbadians, as Fujin stood still. Rajin was barking orders at the few soldiers not in position, and as they scrambled out, Fujin stood ready, Shruiken in hand, her wind magic billowing around the air, venting the burning smell of granite dust out into the gaping hole from whence it came. Rajin stood in awe of his friend, heck she was practically his sister, as she stood ready, clarifying the air and pushing it to give them the advantage of clearer sight. He walked up to her, relishing in the feel of the cold, vagrant air washing over him as he stepped into the breezy fray. Squall was coming, and they knew it. If they were not able to kill him, defeat him... to live through the impending battle... Rajin didn't want to think. He had spent too much time thinking today, now was the time for fighting, for breaking someone's nose winner takes all, the proving ground. He was shocked back to reality as Fujin let loose her weapon, clanging into something metalic in the mist. Squall was here.  
  
Fujin lept back to retrieve her weapon, splaying the battle field with another sweeping of wind, gusting forth and churning the receeding fog one last time, allowing Rajin to jump in and blindly swing his gigantic staff, thudding into something before sending something else flying back towards the growing pile of debris, leaping back to line up with Fujin and provide her with a more solid defense. Breaking the mist with a spell of her own, Quistis stepped out of the mire, snapping her whip at Fujin, who ducked and rolled, letting loose her pinwheel as it was once again deflected by Squall Leonheart's gunblade, zooming back as Fujin caught it and turned to where Rajin had batted away Selphie's nunchaku with his great staff. Catching their breaths for another assault, Fujin readied as Squall broke into the mire,  
  
"Forfeit and we will not hurt you. You can still give up!"  
  
"NEVER!" Fujin spat, as Rajin clarified,  
  
"We ain't leavin'! Seifer and us, we're a posse, ya know. Just like you guys, ya know"  
  
"You were warned... Selphie, Quistis, hold nothing back!"  
  
Fujin let out a gutteral war cry, sending a tornado to pummel into Squall as she spun her pinwheel sideways at Quistis and Selphie. Quistis cried out as the shruiken dug a line into her torso, as Selphie threw her nunchaku up in defense, sending the shruiken veering dangerously close to Squall's recovering position. Rajin and Squall were dueling, Squall's gunblade slashing a diagnal as Rajin's staff connected with a clang, making Rajin grit his teeth as it reverberated and he swung the other side of his staff at Squall's legs, who jumped and came down on Rajin with his gunblade swung down from behind his head. Rajin swung his staff up, defending in the split second before the gunblade would have taken his head off. Leaping backward, Rajin slipped on Fujin's weapon, sending it skidding to Fujin's grasp, as Rajin tumbled on his back nearly paying with his life and Squall grunted with the force he splayed into the Gunblade Rajin had rolled away from, then countering by swinging his staff into Squall's back as if it were a baseball. Squall went careening into a pile of rock, catching the eye of Selphie, who ran over to heal her bruised leader. Eyeing Quistis, Fujin let loose her shruiken too late, as Quistis' whip snapped around her wrist and Fujin dropped her weapon, a sharp pain revealing a thick layer of blood oozing into the fabric of her jacket. Seeing the blood, Fujin panicked, screaming as a pulse of strong wind magic overflowed from her, pelting Quistis before she could protect herself, knocking Selphie over, but instead of staying down, Selphie jumped back on her legs, swinging her nunchaku as Fujin rolled, grasping her pinwheel and letting it fly. The back swing of Selphie's gigantic nunchaku defended against the weapon, but as Fujin flipped forward to grab it, she let loose another aero spell, hoping to see Selphie fly backwards into the rising Quistis, but Selphie threw up a reflective protective magic around herself, blowing the aero spell back at Fujin, whose eye went wide as it hit her, sending her hard into the wall.  
  
Rajin faired little better. Squall and Quistis had ganged up on him, as Squall swept his gunblade at the hulking man, Quistis snapped her whip, holding onto Rajin's staff arm as the gunblade sunk into the muscle of his right shoulder before Rajin grabbed the whip and fell back with all his strength, Quistis careening into him as he punched her squarely in the face with the fist that held the sharded whip. Rajin had lost it, slamming himself into Squall, too close for Squall to do anything but hit the wall, then unleash a blizzard at the bronze berserker, freezing the wounds on Rajin's back and arm, but Rajin's eyes blared yellow as he cast the strongest thunder and lightning spell he knew, being too close in the battle radius, and yelling painfully as the lightning electrified the ground around them, sending Squall sizzling and shaking with the impulsive attack, before crumpling into the ground. Rajin knelt on the sparking ground, gasping for some air to fill his smoking lungs, reaching for his staff, stopping as Quistis' boot slammed into his hand with the heel it held. Rajin let out a yowl, as Quistis, who still held her bleeding nose and broken glasses, swung her whip around his throat, cracking it to the side, wrenching the oxygen out of his respiratory system, slamming his head on the floor, kicking him as squarely as she could in the head, giving him a ringing concussion as he sank limply to the floor. Fujin gasped, thinking she had killed him, relieved when Rajin's muscles twitched, but knowing his battle was over. Turning back to her own predicament, Fujin parried a swing of Selphie's nunchaku with her shruiken, slicing it through the air, catching the brunette squarely on her dress buckle, Selphie slammed her weapons chain first into Fujin's gut.  
  
"NO!" Fujin cringed, true fear seeping through her voice, eye wide before blindly swinging her shruiken at a shocked Selphie, who stopped for a few seconds, before rushing forward at Fujin, who shrank back into a corner, holding her stomach delicately. As Selphie advanced, Fujin shot forth a grand weave of magic, powering the gust of wind with her fear, and hate. Flying to the floor, Selphie crumpled like origami under a boot, her body slamming against the pointed rocky debris. Rushing forward, Fujin flung her Shruiken at Quistis, grazing the woman's forearm, ripping at the leather glove she wore and cutting into Quistis' hand. Quistis shrieked in pain as she spun, trying desperately to protect herself from the backwards attack, impulsively summoning Leviathan. As the great water serpent formed from the impending wave, Fujin did the only thing she knew, cast a tornado spell on herself, wrapping herself in the survivable wind, allowing its pulse to heal her body which was wracked with the punishment of the water. Coughing excess amounts of water as her body shook in hacking pulses, Fujin rose to her knees and cast her gaze up to the harbinger of their doom: Squall.  
  
Melting into herself, she yelped in anguish doubling over holding her throbbing gut, forcing her eye to look up at the man who held her pinwheel in his hand. Letting it clang like slowing heartbeats, Squall threw the circular weapon to the side, readying his gunblade for what would be the final assault. Would he kill an unarmed woman? Fujin thought, mind racing for something she could do. Releasing a feeble aero spell, she stumbled backward, keeping herself from sprawling on the floor with a hand, genuine fear shrieking out of her mouth with a pitiful wail that seemed to shock Squall into slouching slightly, his luminescent eyes sinking further into a squalid grey. Fujin scrambled backwards, trying again to cast another spell, but none would come, she was weaponless, magicless, and shrunken up against the body of her unconscious comrade. A wave of dread soaked her as she felt Rajin's warm skin against her hand, and she cringed, stumbling with her hands, letting out another wail of utter despair, she had lost. Squall turned his gunblade around, the wide metal butt of the weapon in his palm,   
  
"I won't let you die" he whispered, the world blacking out as Fujin was struck in the temple firmly at Squall's hand going limp and slumping over Rajin's gigantic bulk to relish in a dream. 


	12. The Wake

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ANNOUNCEMENT: As the last chapter was such a mess, I redid it, all things left out at the end of chapter 11 are now in chapter 12, so if you want to read the improvements/ differences: just read the last bit, it's all I changed.  
  
Riverwood: that's okay, review when you can. :) Did I hear fanart? YAY!! That is AWESOME! Yes, I thought it would be a bit of a plot twist. There were hints in other chapters, but I decided to make it blatant in chapter 12 [a change from chapter 11] to everyone except Seifer and Rajin.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01: Yes, that was a rather sad chapter... I think she'll be okay... I might just be cruel, I don't know yet... depends onhow the next two chapters progress.  
  
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'where were we at the foundations of the world? Where were we at its keeping? its forming? Its life? When was the first breath breathed? What gives us the right to forge it to our wills and dominations? When did we first listen? Hear the wind's rustling, the water's gurgling, the crackle of fire, the parade of thunder? Did it matter if one could not be found? Was there ever a saviour? Will I ever find my way?'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum  
  
Fujin lay twitching slightly on the ground, her muscles shaking her from her painful slumber enough to tell she was being moved. Visions of fog came tumbling through her head, the smell of explosives, blood; a battle started forming on the foreground, and she saw herself shrinking back, she had lost. Seifer would be next, and it would be her fault. She didn't fight hard enough, she could have beaten them, she could have healed Rajin, then Seifer would have been okay... she could remember seeing the enemy forming a circle around her, gloating, but overwhelmingly burdened and grieved. Squall looked appologetic... how could she let that happen? She could feel something tugging at her, nothing more than a feather stroking her consciousness, but it was there, grieviously she opened her eye, letting the putrid second hand light feverishly jab at her vision, blinding her before she was lifted up, and could hear the mull of men around her, battle, blood... Rajin.  
  
"Fujin" Rajin whispered, coaxing his female counterpart awake with his toes.  
  
"Fujin" he said a little louder, as Fujin's head lolled to the side of his voice, eye opening as Rajin's desperate voice clamped down on her wish to wallow.  
  
"RAJIN" she breathed, little more than a whisper,  
  
"We can still help Seifer" Rajin whispered, before wincing as he was dragged upright by two Estharian soldiers. Laguna must have sent for re-inforcements Fujin thought, finding herself being lifted up. In the split second before the Estharian soldiers put handcuffs on the pair, Fujin realised Rajin was right, there was still time! Practically an afterthought, Fujin burst out in a flury of wind magic, wrapping herself and Rajin protectively before bursting forth with as much destructive force as a summon spell, flattening everyone else, Rajin running to grab their weapons, towards Seifer, Fujin in tow.  
  
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Selphie had been hit hard. Laguna, Kiros, Ward and Irvine had rushed in as re-inforcements, Laguna could remember Irvine's gutteral wretching gasp as he saw Selphie silent on the debris, pieces of loose rock and cement coating the surrounding area. Laguna could remember Irvine healing the girl, caressing her quietly, yet briefly as Selphie whispered something into his ear, which immediately set Irvine's face grimly, as he helped her up, trailing his hand after he left her grasp, striding the warpath up to Squall. Laguna saw Irvine through the peripheral of his vision, for his eyes had been fixated on his son. Running in, Laguna had stopped short, blood running colder than Shiva as he watched in agony as his son stood over that shrivelling, whelp of a girl, she was obviously beaten, scared was an understatement, and Squall stood powerfully towering the silver haired pained girl, her face permanently etched in Laguna's mind. He had seen that face before, it was Raine's when Ellone was kidnapped, when Laguna said goodbye, when it looked like they were doing to die. It was the face of love breathing its last for the lover. That same face was what he saw every night when he'd close his eyes and subconsciously visualize Raine dying after giving birth to the man that stood before her, the spectre of all she had feared, of what she died for.  
  
Laguna felt his spirit crushing under the weight of the scene, as Squall struck the handle of his weapon squarely across the girl's face, watching her flump down onto the body of her partner, then Squall turned, closing his eyes as he sheathed his gunblade, opening his eyes to the man he did not know to be his father and looked up so pitifully distraught that Laguna's heart broke a second time as he absolutely could not move.  
  
"Squall!" Irvine shouted, coming to the side of Squall and pulling him to face eye to eye. Squall looked up at Irvine, who immediately shrinked back in shock of the grief set face and single tear that had broken, sliding down Squall's stone set face. Mumbling a bit, Irvine continued,  
  
"Squall... Selphie says... I dunno if it's true, but... Merciful Hyne, man! That girl's pregnant!" He stumbled across the words, finally flinging his arm at Fujin's limp form.  
  
"I know" Squall answered, looking to his side, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Whadjya mean you know!?"  
  
"I scanned her... there were two life signs. It's why I didn't kill her."  
  
"Well that's very noble of you" Irvine spat, "What kinda man would let a pregnant woman fight?"  
  
Laguna stepped up to the two young men, tears on the verge of plunging over his eyelids,  
  
"The same that would leave one behind. One that didn't know" he said, looking at the anguished, yet placid face of Fujin.  
  
"Whatever. We have to move, by now the Galbadians would have been alerted to our presence" Squall said, eyes drifting over the battle field with calloused indifference.  
  
"I don't understand" Irvine whispered as Squall began barking orders and healing Quistis,  
  
"Trust Me." Laguna consolled, placing a hand on Irvine's shoulder as Selphie came over and sunk her head into Irvine's, giving him a hug. Squall came over and ordered Irvine to accompany him and Quistis, ordering Selphie to handle the prisoners with Laguna as Estharian reinforcements began flooding into the gaping hole. Blowing Irvine a kiss, Selphie turned back to Laguna and the task at hand. Secretly Laguna was glad Selphie was okay.  
  
As Squall, Quistis and Irvine fled the room, a battle ensued with several Galbadian soldiers, quickly being won by the Commander of Garden, who didn't even stop. Several skirmishes broke out between Estharian soldiers and Galbadians, and Laguna gunned a few Galbadians down, yelling at Selphie to get the prisoners away from harm. No sooner had Selphie ordered a couple Estharian Privates to start moving the limp bodies, Selphie stopped in shock as Fujin's eye blared open, Fujin's thin mouth letting out a desperate scream as the most powerful wind magic Selphie had encountered flew onto the scene, flattening everyone. Selphie had instinctively flung a shell spell on herself, trying to stand her ground, but ended up landing with a thud on Ward. Groggy, she fluttered up, grasping for something to help her, as Laguna's hand found hers and eased her up on her feet.  
  
"What are they, crazy?" Selphie mumbled, holding her head and giving her body a shake.  
  
"No, I don't think that's it." Laguna said, handing Selphie a potion. The President of Esthar had seen Fujin's eye, and immediately threw a hi-potion into the air, falling as the powerful wind spell hit the bottle, breaking it and spraying all those hit with the cyclone with its healing properties. It was something Laguna had encountered by accident on one of his missions when he was still in Galbadia: never try and heal yourself when a Thrustaevis is casting a spell... unless of course you want to heal everyone a little. Selphie declined the potion, stumbling forward until she found her footing, then attempting to run after the fleeing pair.  
  
"Selphie! It's too late!" Laguna said, running after the petit young woman, gunning down another Galbadian, who was about to put a bullet hole through Selphie's head.  
  
"We have to get them back!"  
  
"Are you prepared to kill? 'Cause they are!" Laguna yelled, yanking Selphie back,  
  
"We've gotta save her!"  
  
"Does she want to be saved!? Ask yourself, if that was Irvine in Seifer's position, what would you do?!" Selphie looked down, stopping the struggle she had been putting up.  
  
"We have to do something" she said dejectedly, before flinging her head to the side and taking out a not-so-fallen Galbadian.  
  
"Squall can take care of it. I have a feeling they won't put up much of a fight, she's going after Seifer, not Squall."  
  
"How can you be sure? I think I should..."  
  
"Get back, SeeD! That's an order!" Laguna shouted, shocking Selphie back into her place, he WAS the President, after all. Saluting steadfastly, Selphie shouted a quick  
  
"Yessir!" and walked back to aide the warring soldiers. Laguna just watched, running a hand through his long, greying hair. He hated to pull rank like that, but he couldn't waste time, his soldiers needed help, he couldn't waste a well-trained SeeD to go on a wild goose chase. Walking back into the ebbing fray, he thought he saw a Galbadian soldier running from the scene carrying an Estharian sack-style, but that would never happen he thought, jogging back to where Ward was sitting on two Galbadian officers while Kiros negotiated their surrender.  
  
=======================================================  
  
Fujin could hear the sounds of a battle coming fast to her side, grunting, the clang of metal against metal, the sound of shotgun shells going off, the snap of a whip... Seifer's last stand had already begun. She ran faster, passing Rajin, whose face was grimly set, finally getting into the mire of Seifer's stand.  
  
"Seifer, Stop! ya know!" Rajin shouted, commanding the battle field as everyone spun around, Squall's team looking at the two warriors in shock of their escape.  
  
"I spared you!" Squall said puzzled, to Fujin, who turned,   
  
"SEIFER!"  
  
Seifer shrank back, his exhausted face turning into a grin as he lifted his grimy body higher, rolling his shoulder,  
  
"See? There's no way you can win now, Leonheart!" he shouted, cocky with the sight of his two friends.  
  
"Fujin? Rajin? Are we to fight you again?" Quistis asked, snapping her whip and grabbing it to the ready with two hands.  
  
"Again? If any of you hurt Fu..." Seifer started, swinging his gunblade threateningly.  
  
"STOP!" Fujin shouted,   
  
"This has to stop, ya know. Seifer... we came to stop you" Rajin said, shocking everyone, and getting Squall's party to step back.  
  
"What? I thought we were a posse" Seifer said, letting his gunblade fall.  
  
"We are a posse! All three of us." Fujin said, letting her voice sink into a normal form of phrase.  
  
"You can talk!" Irvine stammered, stepping closer to her, more surprised than anyone of Fujin's turn of speech.  
  
"Stay away from her!" Seifer spat, "Are you going to help me or not!?"  
  
"No, Seifer! We are a posse, more than friends, more than family, we always stick together. But Rajin and I aren't going to stand by while you destroy yourself! You need to stop this, Seifer! The madness has to end, can't we just be happy? Can't we just go home?"  
  
"HOME!? Where is home, Fuu? Do we have one? Tell me!"  
  
"Give her a break, ya know! She's been through a lot, ya know!"  
  
"How would you know more than me!?"  
  
"SEIFER! We can still get out of here, we can still go travel, have a home with each other! WE can still get away! The Sorceress has nothing for you!"  
  
"I do this for you, Fuu! I do all this for you!" Seifer shouted, slapping his palm to his chest.  
  
"That's what the sorceress said!!" Fujin screamed, stepping forward, trying desperately to reach him somehow.  
  
"No! If you're not going to help me... just LEAVE! Go, Fujin, just go!"  
  
"SEIFER, PLEASE!" she pleaded, reaching for him.  
  
"STAY AWAY!" he snarled, "Rajin... take care of her... keep her safe. Now get outa here!"  
  
"SEIFER!" Fujin shouted, but Rajin stopped her, putting a strong, gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"He won't listen, ya know... stubborn... like Squall... we've warned him... done all we can, ya know... let's leave... C'mon." Fujin took one last look at Seifer, pleading with her eye, Seifer looked back at her, equally sorrowful, as if to say, 'understand my sacrifice, I love you' and turned away to face Squall once again.   
  
  
  
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Laguna, Kiros and Selphie ran towards the opening after word from Squall came: Seifer was beaten, that battle was complete. On their way, they stopped in shock at the hulking Rajin lay paralysed on the ground, Fujin nowhere in sight. Curing the behemoth, Selphie leant down, snapping her fingers in front of his face.  
  
"C'mon, Rajin! Wake up! Where's Fujin?" the spunky woman asked, as Rajin shook his head and in the remaining stupour, could only be intelligibly decifered as,  
  
"Magic... from behind... Fujin!" 


	13. Now All Sigh Heavy in the Wind

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ANNOUNCEMENT: As you all are getting pretty used to my announcements... thought I'd give the heads up that we are nearing the end... this chapter's end marks the spiraling end slope of the fic. For all that are worried of how it will turn out in the end: have hope.  
  
savggrl - Patience, patience! I'll get them up, no worries.   
  
Riverwood - you're welcome for the speech thingy. yeah, everyone is having a rough time, but then again, the good times balance out the rough times, so it just means there'll be many many good times ahead. no fanart? I agree *kicks Riverwood's mac.com* we want Fanart!!  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Yeah, I couldn't stand the bluntness of the last version of chapter 11, so thus the change. Yes, Squall is a nice guy isn't he? [of course he also resembles a block of wood emotionally speaking for most of FF8, but the guy can be forgiven] You're about to find out where Fujin went, brace yourself she hasn't suffered her last, but she won't suffer much anymore after this.  
  
Deity of Death - Thank you for your reviews, I am a review addict... not at all a confident one, either. Thanks for the support and encouragement hope you enjoy the following chapters as much as the first.   
  
Twin-Lance - well, I'm glad you found it. Hope you enjoy, and no, you cannot have the first chapter, it is mine. mwah.hah.hah. :)  
  
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Fujin heard the distant sound of water gurgling softly from the outskirts of her ears. She could feel the tangy coolness of the metal bangles firmly stretching her in the spread eagle position she was bound to in the air. Air. . . there was no wind here she thought, pulling her muscles groggily, testing the metal bracelets for any weakness she could use. As she tenderly shifted her weight and bent her fingers another sound penetrated the surrounding oxygen, although this sound was not the calmning gurgle of water. A hiddeous laugh wallowed and wheezed its way, sludging throught the hollow room until sloshing itself in past Fujin's ears and up to her aural sensory perception, contaminating her entire body with a sickening feeling she knew that laugh and who it belonged to: the Lieutenant.  
  
Flinching her body stiffly, she heard the strict metal military boots he wore scuff and torment the floor, making the metal tiles whine and burst in short, painful yelps as he paced the area she could feel in front of her. Blindfolded, she tried to follow the sounds of his boots, trying to ascertain any weakness, a limp, a favoured side, scanning him like the warrior she was taught to be. But her head was too heavy, the magic or whatever he used to knock her out still drudged through her system with the speed of a slowly moving snail in thick, sticky mud. Hearing his horrid, sickening laugh eminate through the resounding space, she stopped,  
  
"Awake now, are ya? 'Bout time, you SeeD's are weaker than I thought"  
  
Fujin didn't answer, shutting her mouth and locking the jaw muscles closed, he wasn't worth wasting words on, plus, what would she say? Fujin smelled around the room, sniffing for a taste of Rajin in the pregnant air, knowing his scent almost as well as Seifer's, but there was nothing except that decrepit smell of decaying bullets and the military sweat of the career soldier.  
  
"Don't feel like talking? That's alright, save your voice... I want to hear you scream"   
  
The Lieutenant was close, Fujin shuddered as he breathed on her neck, sending the skin crawling with the decrepity of his voice... That was when Fujin noticed the collar of her jacket wasn't there... Oh my Hyne I'm naked! Fujin screamed internally, eye widening in shocked fear under the blindfold.  
  
"Do you want to see yourself? It would make things much more interesting" the Lieutenant said, trailing his fingers up her shoulder, neck, cheek, until firmly grabbing the blindfold and giving it a yank, ripping a few hairs with it. Fujin cringed in pain, opening her eye to see a mirrored pannel making up the other side of the tiny room. She saw she wasn't completely naked, the bast**d had left her underclothing on her, but they were drenched with tiny cuts, red with the stains of blood some from the battle, some new. The Lieutenant took that moment to grab her chin in his hand, as she struggled he slapped her full force, causing her teeth to rattle as he grabbed her chin more forcefully and brought his tongue from her neck all the way up her face. Fujin's stomach heaved, but she was able to contain herself until he went back down, taking a small knife and slashing just enough to cut the skin, but not enough to permanently damage her.  
  
"Have you ever seen someone die of blood loss? Horrible thing, they just go pale until they finally slump over. I always wanted to know what it would feel like... Guess I'll just have to watch you instead" the Lieutenant gloated, licking a bit of blood away from her collarbone, then backing away, taking the butt of the blade and jabbing the dull, handled end forcefully into her abdomen.  
  
"Scream!" Fujin tried to cry out, to do anything to stop the madman from killing her, from hurting her precious cargo, but the more she struggled, the more the bangles cut into her wrists and ankles.   
  
==========================================================  
  
"Where's Fujin?" Selphie asked again, worry beginning to take her voice up to a higher octave, just as Kiros and two Estharian guards brought the shackled Seifer into the hall.  
  
"I don't KNOW!" Rajin screamed, wrenching his body further towards the ground, and his knees.  
  
"What do you mean? Where's Fu? WHERE IS SHE YOU SONS OF BIT**ES!" Seifer shouted, frantically searching the room for answers, looking at Rajin's anguished bulk, seeing the worry in his eyes. No one spoke a word, creating a panic in Seifer, making him struggle against his captors, until Rajin looked up at Seifer's shirt,  
  
"There was this... magic... couldn't move... Fu... she was taken"  
  
"BY WHOM? WHO? WAS IT THEM!?" he screamed, jerking his head to a few Estharian soldiers. Laguna took this moment to remember the man in Estharian officer garb, snapping his fingers and heaving his gun higher on his shoulder.  
  
"I think I know where she is" Laguna said, staring the room down, eye to eye with Seifer, seeing the desperation and hate in his eyes.  
  
"Let him loose. Give him back his weapon."  
  
"Sir, you can't be serious!" one of the Estharian officers said,   
  
"For once I am. Kiros, you're with me, Selphie, take Rajin back to the ship, all of you secure the area, call in re-inforcements, MOVE!" Laguna opened Seifer's shackles, Kiros placing Hyperion in Seifer's hands, as Laguna also placed his gun at Seifer's temple,  
  
"Try anything, and I'll blow your head off, got it?" Laguna spat, mostly for the benefit of the men.  
  
"Start moving! Kiros, patch into ops, get the techies to open a topographic map, get them to locate the quickest route to a room with mirrors."  
  
Seifer's mind raced, searching for some recollection of a room with mirrors... Hyne!  
  
"The detention room!" Seifer breathed, taking off in the direction of where he hoped Fujin was,  
  
"Come on!" Laguna yelled to Kiros, keeping his gun trained on Seifer, and following the blonde man who wove is way along the corridors.  
  
As they wove deeper into the corridors, Galbadian resistance became stronger, Laguna and Kiros began fighting their way through, as Seifer barked commands sneering at the Galbadians to stand down as they passed, Estharian troops filling in the gaps. Further towards the detention room, Seifer noted the odd number of troops filling strategic positions, until he rounded a corner right into a strong contingent of Galbadians, Seifer noted with enfuriating disgust that they were from the Lieutenant's troop.  
  
"Stand aside!" Seifer said, swiping his arm in an arc to part the soldiers. They didn't move.  
  
"MOVE! That's an ORDER!"  
  
"They don't take orders from you, Lap Dog." the Lieutenant said, smoothly walking out of the darkened doorway. Seifer was ready to boil over, but a calm tap on his shoulder made him turn around to where Kiros and Laguna had their weapons drawn at the equal amount of troops at their back. An ambush.  
  
"You see, the Sorceress knew your weakness, and ordered me to dispose of it if you should fail. Of course that meant stopping you from getting to the little minnow, so I thought killing you too would be so... tragic... dying like a ... HERO!" The Lieutenant drawled, acting out a melodramatic flair of pretending to faint with a sword in his gut.  
  
"Where is she?" Seifer growled, eyes growing dark, snarling the words as the Lieutenant smirked from his safe position behind his men,  
  
"Oh, she's in there... fading... I couldn't just kill her now, that would be too painless, too easy... I got her to scream for me" the Lieutenant gloated, as Seifer grew more enraged, breathing raggedly heavy twitching his muscles, itching for a fight, but he had to keep his head.  
  
"Let her go, and you won't be killed."  
  
The Lieutenant grinned evily, bowing theatrically as he steped back into the doorway,  
  
"Say goodbye" he finished, ducking fully into the room. The Galbadian soldiers readied their weapons, as a bloodcurdling scream eminated from the room,   
  
"SEIFER!!!!" Fujin screamed, the last of her strength belting through her lungs, as Seifer whispered,  
  
"Fujin" and let out a battle cry as Laguna yelled,  
  
"Go get her! We can handle them!"  
  
Conjuring an enormous ball of flames, Seifer shot it at the Galbadians he used to command, twirling his body with the gunblade, slashing at the remaining men in front, hacking to the sides as they tried to hold their defence, but Seifer was a madman, he didn't look back. Running into the doorway, Seifer had to duck and roll as the heavy metal door was blasted from its hinges, and a great burst of wind sent the Lieutenant crashing through metal, wall and rock until snapping against a jagged outcropping, falling the four feet to the ground with a thud, he never got up. Seifer ran into the door, catching a lasting glimpse at the mighty wind Guardian Force Pandemona, who had answered its master's cry for help. As Pandemona faded, Seifer flinched, the scene before him forever etched into his mind, as Fujin's limp body hung from the metal shackles blood coating her clothing, her hair so thick with it that the colour had become a sick pallour of red. Reaching forward, he hit the release of the shackles, lunging forward to catch the falling body in his arms. He sank down to the floor with her, wiping her blood and sweat soaked hair as he let out a groan of anguish, yelping at her chapped, broken lips and the white colour of her skin. Reaching forward, he brought her wrist to his inspection, biting his lips lest a scream would rock the entire Lunatic Pandora. Carefully, he took off his greatcoat, wrapped it around her, laid her down on the floor, and began to give her CPR, blowing into her lungs, being careful not to damage her any further until she heaved with a breathless, moistureless groan, as Seifer grabbed her to him gently, kissing her cheek and whispering appologies and I love yous in her ear. Her head sank back, as darkness took her, but Seifer saw her stomach raising and falling, she was going to live... she had to live. Picking her up, he walked solemnly back to where Laguna was battling the last forces with the butt of his machine gun, he had run out of bullets, and Kiros was twirling and twisting his way, hacking at the monsters the Galbadians unleashed, and at the Galbadians too, until a lake of water swept the rest of the enemies away: it was Selphie and she wasn't alone.   
  
Laguna turned to see Seifer walking towards Selphie, and the Estharian contingent she had brought, most of the soldiers rushing through Lunatic Pandora to secure deeper areas. Kiros turned, bowed his head at the sight of Seifer's grimmly set face carrying the dangling body of Fujin close to him, Selphie audibly gasping and turning away at the scene. Seifer stared each of them down, even as he got closer to the Ragnarok, Laguna, and Kiros followed, Selphie going on a word from Squall to help with the battle with Adel, Rinoa had been taken. Seifer told her how to get there easiest. As they approached Command Central, the men gasped, turned away, or both, sinking their heads down as Seifer stared at each and every one. Rajin could be heard, voice booming to let him see what was happening, let him see Fujin was still alive, so Ward went to the holding area, and unlocked him, allowing Rajin to rush forward, knocking over soldiers as two medics got a gurney over to put Fujin down on. Rajin let out a booming, sickening yelp, falling onto his knees, as Seifer put Fujin carefully on the gurney, holding onto her,  
  
"I... Hyne, I'm sorry, ya know" Rajin muttered, his face locked in teh most serious expression it had ever held. Seifer found he couldn't speak, his body shaking as the shock wore off and he looked at Fujin, bloodied and scarred on the gurney. His body began to tremble, as he looked desperately around, as Rajin stood up, wideyed at his friend, firmly grabbing his shoulders and leading him to the most private section of command central, where Seifer vomitted onto a pile of debris, his joints giving way as Rajin caught the smaller man, whose face went pale as he shook. Leaning over, Seifer barely noticed Laguna walking up, passing him a water bottle and a towel.  
  
"Wash your mouth out and wipe your face, you don't want Fujin to see you like this do you?" the older man said, as Seifer thanked him with his eyes, taking a swig of the water, swishing it in his mouth and spitting it onto the debris pile, drenching the towel with more of the refreshing liquid as he washed his face, steadying himself on Rajin as the three men walked towards where Fujin lay. Kneeling down beside her, Seifer took the water and towel, carefully, and gently washing her face, letting some of the water run through her hair, carrying mass amounts of blood with it as it drained onto the floor. Everyone present at that act felt their hearts give way as Seifer dabbed and cleaned as much of Fujin's face, neck, and arms as he could, dropping the ruined towel to the floor with a splatter as the medics helped him bind her wrists and ankles in gauze and bandages. Seifer took some and wove it around her head, covering her scarred and damaged eye, she would have wanted that. Laguna put a strong arm on his shoulder,   
  
"I have the medical staff ready to transport Fujin to my personal physician and the best surgeons Esthar has"  
  
"Why? Why help..."  
  
"Because you were possessed, because Rajin cut a deal with us, because no woman deserves to die without her lover, without living until she gets old" Laguna's words cut hard, personal for the President, as Ward ordered two Estharian MP's to take Rajin away, Seifer looked up at his bronze behemoth, questioning.  
  
"I told 'em everything, ya know... Ya told me to protect her with my life... that's what I'm doing, ya know... Don't hate me, ya know..."  
  
"Rajin, what?"  
  
"Rajin confessed to everything, taking full responsibility for the three of you, he's charged with conspiracy, treason, warmongering and attempt to murder all of Garden and the SeeD's... among other things. There will be a war crimes tribunal in Esthar when the war is officially over." Laguna said, watching Seifer's face drain further in shock at his friend, who gulped and smiled pathetically, raising up to his full height,  
  
"Don't worry, ya know... I got 'em to keep you and Fujin together. I know what I'm doing, see you later, ya know tell Fujin I love her... like a brother, ya know..." he said, walking away with the soldiers.   
  
"Rajin!" Seifer said, standing up, placing Fujin's hand carefully down onto the blanket they had draped on her,  
  
"Thank you. When this is over... we'll go fishing, spend all the time in Balamb you want"  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that, ya know... when this is over" Rajin echoed, smiling assuringly, yet sadly at Seifer before he entered the military prisoner 'copter and was gone.  
  
From a distance, Kiros stood watching the scene, smiling as he watched Seifer say goodbye to Rajin, kneeling down, reaching for Fujin's hand as the medical staff brought the gurney into the waiting air-lift vehicle, the doors shut and they were gone, their fighting was of a different nature now. Laguna stood behind Ward, turning as an officer gave word that Squall needed them, so Kiros joined his friends,   
  
"She's not Raine" Kiros whispered to Laguna,   
  
"I know... She'll live" Laguna said, hefting another of his machine guns on his shoulder as the three walked off to save Ellone, Rinoa and the world. 


	14. Everything'll Be Alright

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ANNOUNCEMENT: The last chapter was harsh. It took me a while to write, and was painful to do, and this is the fallout chapter, for all those wondering, chapter 13 was the last of the horror and war, it gets lighter from here on up.  
  
Kjata - Hey, at least you found it! Thank you. I try to keep her as close to the character as I can, otherwise it ends up annoying me. Well, I'll be keeping an eye out for more reviews? [crosses fingers in hopefulness]  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - let me tell you, I was worried. My fingers were twitching on the keys as I put the finishing touches, I thought I might have gone too far. I love Rajin and Laguna. Probably the reason I love FF8 so much is because of the richness of the characters. I'll make it up to you, the ending I mean... what do you want to see?   
  
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'How do you know when something is at its end? What finishes a story? Is it the final battle, the last giving of strength, or does the 'ever after' matter? What happens to the people after the story is concluded? Where is the beggar now? I sit and watch him descending from the box, each limb and joint creaking and groaning as he steps down, moves the box aside, picking up the one belonging he has: a book. He carries a book with him, though I have never seen inside I know what's in it, we wrote it, it is the story of our lives, but we cannot read the pages we havn't lived yet. Stretching tall to the sun, the beggar reaches forward, grabs the lover's hand, he smiles, the wrinkles and scars dotting his face dancing as he puts his arm around me, leading me away from the street corner. And it hits me, maybe he is not a beggar at all? Beggars have to lack something, he lacks nothing. So we walk into the sea of people content, to where we go, I do not know, for I have never been. But it will be good.'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum   
  
The transport was scheduled to land in two minutes, and Seifer couldn't wait. Just seeing Fujin wound up in bandages, fighting for her life, was intoxicating with rage, and pain. It's my fault, if I hadn't followed my own stupid desires Fujin would be safe. Seifer thought, catching sight of her parted lips, as the medics continued on stabilizing her condition. He was still weak, the shaking from after the shock wore off hadn't ceased, in truth: he was pale, almost as white as Fujin, and hid a few major gashes and wounds from the medics. Of course the medics had asked if he was in need of attention, but he refused, even when blood threatened to cough its way out of his mouth, even when something in his ribcage snapped and popped when he was thrown down by the take off of the craft, even... it didn't matter, they needed to concentrate on Fujin. Seifer bit back the pain as the small copter descended to the landing pad of the small medical centre, the few Medics rushing Fujin out of the vehicle as Seifer ran, wincing with every stride. He looked around, it was heavily guarded. No wonder the President sent them here: anywhere else and Fujin would be linched in her sleep. Seifer reminded himself to thank the President... what was happening to him? How far? How far had he fallen? It seemed a life time ago that he was praised as a hero on the float in Edea's Parade. A HERO. The sea of faces ebbed and flowed for HIM, they shouted exhaultations for HIM and Fujin and Rajin just stood in the middle of it all, Rajin had wanted to get a good spot, see the show, Fujin just kept silent, steady, she didn't move. Somehow it steadied him, jolted his mind back to where it should lie, seeing her on the gurney completely broken, a package of blood IV'd into her veins to keep her alive, bandages on almost all of her seeable body, hair red with crusted blood... what had he reduced them to?  
  
Rajin was going to prison, probably be given the death sentence for HIM, Fujin could have died, the pain she must have felt was unbearable, and Seifer... here he was rushing through doors of some Hyne-forsaken hospital broken, bleeding, and completely white from shaking so hard. He was a wreck. This was what he was fighting for, this. The love of his life being rushed to emergency surgery, his best friend gonna likely die for opening his big mouth, and he was left trying to hold his stomach together as he overheard the surgeon swearing over how saving Fujin's life would take more than a miracle. As the door to the OR closed, and Seifer couldn't see Fujin anymore he stopped running, scanning the room for something... but there was nothing there. Before he knew it, a high pitched whine filled the air, and the room began to spin, flooding him with enough pain and swirling colours he thought his brain would explode. In the preceeding moments, memories and futures began opening up to him, his entire life, and the lives of Fujin and Rajin flooding him like an exploded dam. Seifer found himself shouting one thing: "Squall, hurry!" as Time Compression fell on the world, and Seifer, the great and feared Sorceress Knight was curled into a ball on the floor as helpless as a babe.  
  
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"Daddy no! Stop Daddy!" Fujin shrieked, as her father flung her by the throat onto her bed, whip flying and striking the girl across the face. Fujin's little eye went wide, as she saw the reflection of men, rival gang members shatter the window opposite her and her father. She thought for one brief moment she could see a glimmer of pity and anger on one of the attackers faces as he threw a bomb at them, the room and small house bursting into flames. Seifer saw Fujin being flung through the wall by the blast, debris and chunks of the whip beating her down one last time. As the dust setted, one of the mobsters run over, whisper something in her ear, picking her up and carrying her out of the house. As the scene faded, Seifer could hear the words coming through a light breeze,  
  
"I'll take care of ya, kid"  
  
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"Rajin! C'mere boy!" the mobster shouted, placing the small child Fujin on the couch in their front room. A boy came rushing out, tripping on the leg of a chair, and grabbing his shin as he stumbled to his father,  
  
"I'm comin' ya know! Who's that ya know?" he said, rubbing his shin. His father bent down and placed a hand on his son's shoulder,  
  
"This is... your new sister. Take good care of her okay? She'll be your responsibility, make sure she's safe, she's been through a lot."  
  
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"Almasy, Seifer" the Instructor droned, saying the name on the top of the list,  
  
"Present... Sir" the young teen said with a sneer.  
  
"Where have you been all week? You've skipped all your classes, I want answers!"  
  
"Training Center"  
  
"Report to the Headmaster at once!"  
  
"Sure thing, teach."  
  
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"Seifer, this is Rajin and Fujin, they are new here at Garden, and I was wondering if you could show them around?"  
  
"Is that all? You want me to babysit a couple a newbies?"  
  
"Hey, we don't need ya, ya know... We can find things ourselves, ya know,"  
  
"What's with the eye patch? Got a complex?"  
  
"RAGE!"  
  
"Fujin... she don't like comments about her eye, ya know. Don't try anything, either, ya know, or you'll be answering to my fist, ya know."   
  
"Hmm... well I see, Seifer you could possibly get along with these two quite well, in fact, I may be looking at the new Disciplinary Committee if you're all interested."  
  
"Yeah, I can stand you. C'mon, I'll show you the Training Center"  
  
"Fuu? Whaddaya say, ya know?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
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"Fujin... I can't... I'm no artist... it's yours"  
  
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"SEIFER!!!"  
  
"Fujin" Seifer saw himself fade as he picked up Fujin's body from the detention room, their entire lives flashing before his eyes. Everything went dark as one face, a woman with grey hair, and tatoos on the sides of her face came into view laughing, heckling him and his puny attempts at control, it was Ultimecia. Seifer felt sick as she was about to swallow him up, but then: light. The window from his room back in Galbadia Garden came into view, and he could see Squall and his friends strike a finishing blow as Ultimecia's face cringed, and was gone, everything fading as Time Compression faded, as the world was saved. By someone else. Seifer noticed the light above him and thought for a minute that he was back in Galbadia Garden, that it had all been a dream, until his vision de-fogged and he found himself curled on the floor looking at a florescent light that echoed over him from the ceiling of the Estharian medical center. He felt himself being lifted up, looking over to see Laguna Loire and a couple of medics bringing him to a gurney. Before he could say anything, the doctor he had heard speak about Fujin came out, rushing, swears on his breath as he hit an alarm, barking over the intercom for a specialist. Shaking the weakness out of his head, Seifer managed to fight the hands laying him down and got up,  
  
"What's happening? Why do they need... How's Fujin? What's wrong? SOMEONE TELL ME! FUJIN!" he screamed, leaping despite the pain induced grogginess of his head towards the door where he could barely see the doctor rush back with a specialist on his heels. He could feel two sets of strong arms, Laguna and Kiros, pulling him back, away from the door, but he was like a madman, he had to know what was going on, so he struggled, screaming her name, asking questions as Kiros and Laguna dragged him into an empty, isolated room.  
  
"What the hell are they doing to Fujin!?" Seifer spat, reeling into the bed that stood in the centre of the room. Laguna put his arms up defensively,   
  
"They're just trying to save her... she lost a lot of blood"  
  
"No f**k!" Seifer said, trying to get back up, wincing as his rib snapped again.  
  
"You need help"  
  
"No! Fujin needs help!"  
  
"She's being stabilized, you have to worry about..."  
  
"Fujin! What're they doing to Fujin!?" Seifer shouted, panting with the effort. Laguna muttered something under his breath, almost an exsasperation, as he cast a curaga on the younger man, watching the blonde jerk momentarily as the magic coursed through his body like electricity.  
  
"Settle down, Seifer! I've got the nurses to tell me when they know anything. Right now they've called in a pre-natal specialist to see what he can do"  
  
"Pre-Natal!? What the hell?"  
  
"She's pregnant, Seifer. They can stabilize her easily, but the child... there was some damage, deep... they're trying to save it"  
  
Seifer sat stunned, the shaking returning to his body as his mind wrapped itself around the information that Fujin was pregnant. Breathing became sparser for him as his head swam, thinking of the implications, the when.  
  
"Hyne... Oh my Hyne. . . Why didn't she tell me? What the hell went through her head? Why did she fight? How did I not notice?"  
  
"She loves you, Seifer"  
  
"How could she... why didn't she..." Seifer began shaking his head, his body quaking beneath him, and Laguna managed to catch him as he collapsed off the bed and onto the cold hospital floor.  
  
"They're trying their best, but... the surgeon didn't know... she was hit in the stomach hard, and ... the Lieutenant... Seifer? Seifer listen to me" Laguna mumbled, taking Seifer's shoulders and shaking them as the blonde's colour paled further, backhanding him in the face, Laguna got him to look him in the eyes,  
  
"Keep yourself together! She needs you! Rajin knew it, that's why he offered himself, so you could be with her." Seifer's eyes dialated slightly, before he snapped his head back, and looked the President of Esthar in the eyes.  
  
"Did he win?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Squall, he beat her, right?"  
  
"... Yes."  
  
Seifer let out a sickening yell, one Laguna remembered as his own when news of Raine's death had come to him, Laguna saw the tears start to fall from Seifer's eyes, cascades running deep, Seifer's soul bleeding them out, as the young man collapsed into Laguna. Quietly, Laguna took the boy, same age as Squall, in his arms, hugging him as he sobbed, billows of anguish and pain streaming out of his eyes and mouth. Seifer couldn't move, he just kept crying like a baby, until Laguna stood them both up and sat Seifer down on the bed. Tossing Seifer a box of tissues, he knelt beside the young man, looking straight into his green, tortured eyes,  
  
"I can't promise the child will be saved, but I can promise that Fujin will make it out of this, and you have to be there for that. Pull yourself together, I'll go check on their progress and get you something to drink." Laguna began walking out of the room, as Seifer looked up, calling back to him,  
  
"How did you know... what to do? What I need?"  
  
"I lost my wife when she gave birth to our son. I was battling Adel at the time, I know what it's like to lose someone so precious. Rest up, Fujin will be okay, but she is going to need you at full strength. I'll be back later, stay here."  
  
Seifer watched the man leave, the door closed, fell back on the cot and crumpled himself into the fetal position as he prayed that everything would be alright. Oh Hyne, that everything would be alright. 


	15. Shades going up, good times coming

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ANNOUNCEMENT: A bit shorter, but I had to get this chapter out. WHOOHOO!! Only about... four or six chapters left, folks! We've made it near the end. Thanks for all the reviews, they've litterally kept me going. This is a hard fic to write merely because of the emotional content. It's quite draining, but for all who have been here since the beginning, thank you, everything's going to be alright.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Alrighty, here you go: the next chapter, fairly soon I think. Fujin and Seifer happy? Sounds about right dontcha think?  
  
Kjata - Well, this chapter is also fairly short, but the ending of it felt right. Expect some Rajin in following chapters, we can't forget about him. And thanks for the compliments, I wish there was more I could write.  
  
Riverwood - I am glad the chapters have hit you so emotionally, that's what I got from them. I try to make things as powerful as I can, otherwise why bother, eh? Your picture sounds amazing. I hope I get to see all of them soon. I kind of think I'm not the only one waiting to see them, ya know ;).  
  
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Laguna paced the hall of the OR waiting for news on the young silver haired woman inside. Eventually a nurse came out holding a chart, passed it to the President, as he flipped it open, leaned away, looking up in the older man's eyes sadly. She saw him sigh deeply, run a hand through his greying hair and walk slowly to the room he left Seifer in, every step heavy and clinging, vibrating with the metal on his steel toed boots.   
  
Stopping right up against the doorframe, Laguna turned away, leaning and sliding down all the way to the floor, trying somehow to muster up the courage to enter the room where he could hear the restless silence drifting under the door cracks. He couldn't do it. He couldn't walk into that room and flip open the clipboard, tell Seifer the contents... it wasn't right. They might have been on the wrong side, they might have fought for evil, but the more he thought about it, the more he watched Seifer and Fujin, the more he heard from Rajin's interrogation the more it looked like... he didn't know Hyne he didn't know! It was like they were being manipulated, and blackmailed, like the Sorceress used their love against them and now... he was only trying to save her and look what happened! Maybe that was how it was supposed to be, maybe everythings going to be alright, he could do something, they could prove the Posse's good nature, innocence... but that wouldn't help heal all wounds. Some were closed forever. Laguna bored holes in the floor by his feet, all the memories of Raine's death flooding into him, the brokeness, the pain, but then there was Squall. At least he had Squall, but he couldn't keep him, Squall didn't even know who he really was. As he was lost in the thoughts, Kiros came up and sat beside him,  
  
"Everythings happening all over again"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"We couldn't save everyone, that was never the deal"  
  
"I know"  
  
"He needs to know, Laguna"  
  
"Yeah" Laguna answered, looking down further, just wanting someone to hold, flashing back to his first seeing baby Squall. Kiros paused, watching his friend's face intently, tracing every curve and wrinkle, he had been there when Laguna fell for Raine, he had watched them get married, take care of Ellone, he had been there when she whispered secret words in Laguna's ear, held his hand, he remembers seeing them fall asleep under the stars in the flower fields, calmly snuggled together holding on for all their worth. But it wasn't enough, she still died, Ellone was still taken, and there was nothing they could do. All he could do was watch Laguna cry, watch the mighty, yet foppish man break down, and here he was again, seventeen years later watching Laguna break over Seifer and Fujin, the two lovers of the age. Sure there was Squall and Rinoa, but they were never going to have it hard, their suffering was over, but Seifer and Fujin never ceased to suffer, they have never had a good time, just torment, and it came to Kiros that maybe that's why Rajin did what he did, maybe that was the reason for his sacrifice: to give Fujin and Seifer a chance. Just one chance to have a happy time, to end the horror that permiated everything in them, to raise them up and for them to live without pain, reguardless of what happened to him, he would die for them. What a sacrifice! Kiros was jostled in his musings with Laguna shifting, raising the clipboard to his view then tossing it aside, sending it skidding across the hallway floor.  
  
"How, Kiros? How do I do it?"  
  
"What would have helped the most? When it was you in there?"   
  
Laguna sat silent for a minute, took a deep breath and looked up to see Kiros already standing over him,  
  
"A hand for a friend." Kiros said, helping Laguna up off the floor.  
  
"Thanks. I guess I should..."  
  
"Yes, you should, and I should as well, I have someone who needs a companion" Kiros began walking toward the exit, as Laguna stared, turned, and entered the room. It was full of sunlight.  
  
======================================================  
  
Fujin driften into consicousness with an irritating beep beep beep constantly droning in her ears. The last thing she remembered was jolting awake with Seifer's mouth over hers, breathing deeply into her lungs, kissing her and whispering I love you's. She had allowed herself to sink back into unconsciousness after that, she knew Seifer would take care of her, and as she opened her eyes to see the grey ceil... HER EYES!  
  
Fujin jostled forward, the beep on the monitor increasing fast, then fading back to a more normal pace as she blinked, and felt her left eye with her hands.   
  
"I can... see?" Fujin said, grabbing her throat and feeling for the ever present scar that had hindered her words for so long. It wasn't there. . .  
  
"Am I... in heaven?" she whispered, trying out her voice, gasping at the ease in speaking words. Slowly, she leaned her hand down along her body, something wasn't right, there was something she could not feel, before she could wrap her mind around it, she heard the voices of two medics outside her door,  
  
"Sad, really. We were able to repair her eyes and many of the scars on her body, but we couldn't save the fetus."  
  
"Poor thing, I wonder how they're going to break the news to her, that her child was miscarried"  
  
"I heard President Loire is in with the father of the child right now, I heard he's trying to break it to him gently, something about losing his wife"  
  
"I didn't know President Loire was married?"  
  
"Yeah, died in childbirth. No one knows what happened to the kid though"  
  
"Hey, my shift's over, fancy getting something to eat?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. Marketplace sound good?"  
  
Fujin toned the rest of the conversation out, gasping back tears as she felt her abdomen, noted the slight bruise left from surgery. She had to be strong, she had to be ready when Seifer came... but where's Rajin? He should be here she thought, the feeling of being completely alone overwhelming her, ripping across her face in a cascade of tears, gasps and sobs wrenching her from her relaxed position on her back to wrapping herself in the fetal position, her face looking to the window the nurses had covered with blinds. Outside she could hear baby birds chirping for their mother, but her repose was muted by a soft knocking on the door.  
  
"Fuj... Fujin?" Seifer gulped, dropping his fist from the door, stepping inside and looking outside to where Laguna placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder, giving him a playful push towards his lover, then closing the door behind him. Alone, Seifer tried to call her name again, but the syllables ended in his throat as he heard her hushed sobs choking back tears. Rushing over, he leaned onto her bed, placing his hands on her shoulder and hair. Laguna had told him of her recovery, her eye and throat, but he also told him other things, horrible things, and as Seifer saw and felt Fujin's shoulders heave slightly as she tried to get control... it ripped him apart. Putting himself completely on the bed, he took the young broken woman in his arms, lifted her to him, cradling her securely, rocking back and forth slowly, gently whispering,  
  
"Everything's going to be alright... shhh, Fujin, shhhh, there will be better times, other chances"   
  
Fujin felt Seifer plant a kiss on her head, and she shut her eyes tight allowing him to rock her, to sing a soothing lullaby in her ears with the promises he spoke, as she sniffed, he brought her a tissue from the hospital table,  
  
"Blow" Seifer said, as she blew her nose in the tissue and he threw it into the trash. Slowly, she snaked her arms around her lover, relishing the smooth feeling of his skin underneath his shirt, it was ripped but she didn't care. The two lovers sat there feeling each other's bodies for so long the nurse checked on them, but left quickly with a smile, they would pull through, she could see it. Eventually, Fujin took a deep breath,  
  
"Did you mean it? Did you mean it when you said there will be other chances?"  
  
Seifer gasped slightly when he heard Fujin's voice, silken, soft, smooth, untortured, it was music. Despite himself he smiled, bringing Fujin's face up to meet his, kissing her softened lips, drawing breaths, but unable to breath them as he looked into her eyes, both her beautiful eyes. Fujin looked at him, so loved, so lovingly in his eyes, that he felt unworthy to have such an amazing woman in his arms. He certainly didn't deserve her, and it made him sad.  
  
"I've messed up so much. I've endangered you, and Rajin... Rajin, he's paying the price." Seifer looked into Fujin's eyes as she sunk her gaze into him, asking silently what had happened to Rajin,  
  
"They took him away, Fuu. Right in front of me, and I was too weak and shocked to stop them. He cut a deal with the Estharians, he takes all responcibility, we go free. He said it was the only way to protect you... to keep us together. He's awaiting trial right now. But Laguna tells me that it's going to be okay, that everything is going to work out, that Rajin will get off and we'll all be together again. But one thing has been torturing me, why? Why didn't you tell me, Fujin?"  
  
Throughout the whole speech, Fujin had let her eyes fall slowly, watching his nose, mouth, chin, neck, stopping at his chest, she stared at his chest, as his arms slung around her, and she froze hoping he wouldn't try and look in her eyes, she had to stay strong.  
  
"You would have... we would have... RUN" she said, jerking her eyes painfully to look him in the face, reverting to her old form of speech,  
  
"FUGITIVE"  
  
"Fujin, I would have saved you!"  
  
"No, Seifer! You wouldn't have saved anything. Yes, maybe we would have kept the child, I'd still be pregnant, but think about it! They would have been chasing us our entire lives, and that would have been nothing to live for. No child deserves that. Where would we have gone, Seifer? If we had given up they would have separated us, and we probably would never see each other again. No, I have faith that what Rajin did, what we did was for the best. There will be other chances, right? Please tell me we'll have other chances!" Fujin broke into a fit of sobs, throwing her arms around him again, hugging him as tightly as she could, praying that he wouldn't hate her now. She must have whispered it, because Seifer gently pulled her into a sitting position facing him,  
  
"I love you. I love you... I have nothing else to say... that's it. There is nothing I want more than to love you, caress you, marry you, be your most intimate lover and friend, there is nothing more I want than to be there when you carry our children, to hold your hand when it gets tough, and to protect you when there's danger, how stupid could I get, Fujin? You are clearly the only thing worth fighting for, dying for. And I'll never let you go... if you'll have m..." Seifer couldn't finish his sentence as Fujin wrenched him down and kissed him passionately on the lips.  
  
That kiss was like a salvation, each pouring everything into it, relishing and cherishing each second, as long as it went on. Breathless, Seifer broke the kiss opening his eyes slowly, catching Fujin's cheek with his lips, tracing her face up to her forehead with his lips, kissing her forehead and holding onto her as if life depended on it, and for him it did.  
  
"I take that as a yes?" he breathed out, hearing a foreign sound emanate from Fujin's lips on his neck, realising as her body quaked that she was laughing, and she looked up at him, tears streaming, lips spread in the biggest smile he had ever seen grace her features laughing over tears of joy and relief. Instantly he started laughing and the two lovers' joy fluttered through the halls, touching one long haired man briefly, but powerfully as Laguna Loire let himself hum again, everything is gonna to be alright. 


	16. Destroyer and Saviour All

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ANNOUNCEMENT: ... ... ... got nothing... ... ...  
  
Kjata - hah! Yes, I was listening to that song when I did the chapter. It's one of my all time favourite songs. This chapter is anything but mushy, so hope you enjoy. Rajin's all this chapter, so we get to see what happens to him.   
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - yes, they are getting married... YAAAYY!! GO them! Yeah, I couldn't save everything, how would it be a tragedy, then? Well, a closet tragedy... okay just a drama.  
  
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The cell was dark; Rajin thought they kept it dark just to annoy him, break him down. The past four days...has it been that long? By now the days drained on one sand at a time, like a giant slow spell was cast on everything but him, and the guards. Really, there was no way for Rajin to tell time, no light, no food, no regular cycle of guards, no patterns at all; it was all chaos and he was right in the middle of it. Each of the guard groups had different ways of getting information from Rajin, general consensus was that starving the giant man would have an affect, and so far all it had done was knaw away at his stomach and make him see colours floating in reds and greens and blacks bouncing through his eyes like strobe lights at a rave. First off, they had tried beating the information out of him, but seeing as how he hulked over all of them combined, and how the first time they had tried several of the guards went out with bleeding noses and cracked ribs, they had tried to be more creative after that. Correction, the lack of food was also fuzzing out Rajin's mind so his ability to complete sentences... Ward came... he guessed it was Ward... the only one of Laguna's trio big enough to handle someone like Rajin, to stop the beating... heh Rajin laughed, mostly because they were running out of guards. Ward was a regular, now, any time the guards were "interogating" him, Ward would be there. Sometimes Ward would slip him a ration bar, sometimes even a sandwich and it was too dark to tell for the guards, so Rajin would thank him, most often panting... for... breath after another bought in the water tank, or electro-shock chamber, or worse enough, the thing they'd tie him up in and take away all his senses, he was blind, deaf, couldn't smell, or feel or taste anything, and every so often something would touch him, briefly, slithering like an eel in the ... whatever it was... that was torture. At least in his cell he could smell things, he could hear the rat twins scampering along. He had named them, the rat twins, 'cause there was only two, Shiva and Ifrit, they were always bickerin' ya know, so   
  
"Shiva would come scramblin' for me, and I'd put her in my hand, protecting her, ya know... it can be dangerous out there with only Ifrit to protect you ya know. I'd say, he's a big doorknob, Ifrit, from what I can tell he's got a red glint to his fur. I've looked at him for hours trying to guess his fur colour, but seeing as how it's dark down here, no such luck, ya know. So anyways, their squeeks are the only things I hear... other than the guards and my own screams."  
  
Rajin looked at the direction he saw Ward's bulking shape making an outline around,  
  
"Yeah, ya heard right, ya know, Screams. I'm ashamed to say the torture gets to me, ya know... After so long being in a dark room with two rats and nothing to eat is heaven compared to the light. I try not to let it hit me too hard, the torture, they just want to know things, ya know... things I don't know! I never knew them! I was never told, I don't know who Ultimecia is, well, I know what they've told me, that she's who I was working for, a slave to... except they don't use slave... they use lackey."  
  
Rajin started huffing, he could tell Ward was there, he could see him, he could smell him, he could... the door creaked open didn't it? Rajin swallowed, but there was no saliva in his mouth so it was more of a painful lashing of his tongue, making it hard to speak, but he continued, because even if he was crazy, at least he's thinking of something different, ya know? His breathing drew itself in and out raggedly, and he clutched his stomach in pain, a cramp from lack of food and water cringing the muscles together.  
  
"I ain't nothing! Why won't anyone tell me about Fujin? How is she? What's happening with Seifer?! Why won't they come!? Why won't they rescue me!!? ... ... Sorry... I didn't mean it like that, ya know... it just... I'm SO HUNGRY!!! My muscles spasm and lock every day, I can't even unclench this Hyned**n fist anymore!" he tried to rise up, but found the shackles binding him near the metal slab that served as a bed snapping him back down, a light electric shock zooming through to make him docile enough. Rajin began shaking from food, drink, and heat deprivation as he rolled whatever of his body he could under the metal slab jutting out from the wall. At that moment, the door to his cell unlocked and light flowed in, striking Rajin with enough fear to make him cry out and struggle as someone began lifting him off the floor.  
  
"No, I won't ... NO! Leave me alone! LET ME GO! I WON'T GO IN THERE, YA KNOW! I WON'T!!! NOO!!" Rajin felt himself slam against someone, sending the man careening across the floor, as the light burned into his eyes, he couldn't see a thing, and began flailing screaming negatives and obsenities with the last of his voice as it began to croak away. Again, he slammed into something... or someone, but this thing had a sharp edge... da... Bloodcurdling screams broke through the open door, causeing every cell in the block to hear it, moroe guards started shuffling in as the two guards left standing in Rajin's cell electrocuted the huge man, sending his hair on end and smoking. But he wouldn't go down. Rajin had enough, and was struggling at the shackles, trying to break the chains at the weakest points, succeeding at one hand, leaving him flailing the chain at the guards, sometimes getting more of a jolt, but two more of the guards went down. As his vision returned to him, beyond the haze of electrified sparks and masses of red floating into Rajin's blinking vision, he could see ... Ward? But wasn't he ... oof Shaking his head he punched at the thing that had hit him, hearing a sickening crack as someone else crumpled down on the floor. Ward and... the other guy... Kiros? Ran into his cell, and did the unexplainable, Ward lunged through the existing guards and threw Rajin down on his metal slab, protecting him with his even more massive body. The Kiros dude was yelling, barking something...  
  
"How can you do this!? Where is your superior? NOW! Get these guards out of here! You know he was not to be touched! GO!!" Rajin thought it was all a dream, that he would wake up with Shiva knawing at his fingers or toes, but it became very real as Kiros turned on the lights.  
  
Kiros saw the young man flinch and cry out at the onslaught of lights, making the man even more furious at the guards direct disobedience when he saw how tortured Rajin actually was: the young man's skin had gone from a bright bronze to a sallow brass, yellowish and blueish blotches matching the purple of bruises and scars trashing his body. Anyone smaller would be dead. His hair which was once well kept and ordered was straight on end, frizzed like a Moomba, while his clothing was so torn he thought it would fall off. More than his appearance, Ward could see the sunkenness of food deprivation, and how he covered his eyes at the light.  
  
"Hyne, what have they done?" Kiros whispered, leaning close to the boy as Ward stepped back. Unlocking his shackles and sending them clambering down to the floor, Kiros took Rajin's shoulders and lifted him up to a sitting position. Rajin was mumbling,  
  
"No more... no...more... are you here to take me away? Are you going to save me? Can I die now? Get it over with! Just NO MORE!! TORTURE!!... Hyne what have I done? How did I... nngh! SAVE ME!!!!"  
  
Kiros sickened as the mighty Rajin, strongest of the Posse broke under an ocean of pain, horror, disgust, bitter surreality, and the total destruction of a dream... evil had found its way past Rajin's soul and knawed. He couldn't look at him, gurgling and shaking, seizuring over the strain as his mind gave way, audible noises shaking into Kiros and Ward's ears as the two older men watched another life be destroyed by a damnable witch. Why did there always have to be someone who gets destroyed? Rajin's fit ebbing, Kiros could hear a whisper trudging its way past Rajin's chapped, broken, blood crusted lips.  
  
"Can you turn the lights down, please?" Kiros could tell Rajin was trying to collect himself again, so he dared ask,  
  
"What do you want, Rajin? Anything"  
  
"How's Fujin? Are they happy? Please tell me they're happy... can I have some food, please? My Shiva and Ifrit are hungry... I'll give some to them... they're my rrratts... ccold" Rajin began to shiver and quake, mumbling and stuttering, grabbing his skin with his hands, trying to warm himself as the adrenaline pulsed through and ebbed out of his system. Unbeknowance to him, he had started crying, tears of fear and frustration as he felt something go over him, then remembered Kiros... if he was really there... call for a blanket. Blinking a few more times, Rajin could see the khaki green of the blanket and sighed as he felt the woolen security slip through his fingers as he tugged it onto him further.  
  
"I like green, ya know... always a nice colourr... can you tell me what day this is?"  
  
"Thursday the 12th... it's been two weeks since you were put in."  
  
"Oh... Is Fuu... okay?"  
  
"Yes, she's fine. The doctors helped her, healed her eye and throat..."  
  
"That's nice... I awlays wantd ..." Rajin broke out of his dream-like state to quiver and jerk his body, slurring his words and bringing his tree-trunk knees to his chest. Kiros could feel Ward's hand on his shoulder as the enormous man turned Kiros to look at him:  
  
"You say... they've done all that? ... We need to get him out of here... the trial is... next week. But we can't leave him in here Ward... I know, but he's going insane... he really does have rats? That's beside the point, I'm having him relocated to the upper level. ... Yes, Seifer and Fujin are scheduled to visit today. Okay, let's get him up" Kiros and Ward went on either side of Rajin, lifted him up, but he began struggling,  
  
"Www..herre? Where are we goin'? Not more light... no more... I've had enough..."  
  
"Shh, Rajin, shh, we're taking you to see Fujin and Seifer"  
  
"Really...?"  
  
"Yes, but first we're going to give you something to eat, and clean you up a bit, okay?"  
  
"Okay... what about Shiva and Ifrit?"  
  
"They'll be fine. Ward is going to feed them"  
  
"Rreally? That's nnice Ward... is he really here? Doesn't say anything... can't be sure"  
  
"Ward is mute"  
  
"Oooh..." that was the last Rajin said before he passed out, and Ward picked him up to give him a shower and a new pair of clothes.   
  
===========================================================  
  
Fujin sat on the edge of the bed her and Seifer had been given, actually, two beds lashed together so they wouldn't come apart... they had learnt that the hard way. One of the nurses had given her a new dress, she wasn't fond of dresses, but this one was sleeveless, and silver like her hair which held a silk flower firmly on a thin black band, and fit her perfectly, a-lining at the waist to her knees, where it ended, she had matched it with a pair of boots and black gloves crawling up past her elbow and stopped halfway between her shoulder and elbow. It felt freeing that she didn't have to worry about the scars on her body, they weren't there. Of course her hair was a bit shorter, they had to cut layers into it after the blood stained some, but Seifer seemed to like it. There was still pain, and losing the child hadn't been easy, but Seifer had cried right along with her, and they had spent so much time just talking, being together, and thinking of their future plans. She didn't have to be afraid anymore. She felt herself smile, they would see Rajin today, Laguna said everything would be alright, that Rajin would be okay they just needed to let the press and bloodthirsty people simmer down before the trial. There was enough evidence to conclude that their actions didn't come with a choice, so it would go easy on the sentencing. For the first time since she was little, she sang to herself softly, a lullaby her mother had sung and oddly enough, that Seifer knew well.   
  
Last night they had sat together, entwined in an intimate cuddle, she grazing her fingertips over his bare chest, he running his fingers through her now choppy hair, he began to sing softly, humming the tune and she quietly, barely audible began to open her mouth, first letting the notes tune out then as she grew in confidence, she felt her eyes close as she snuggled closer to the man that meant so much and sang. It had been soft, sweet, and bar none, the most wonderfully intimate moment the two had shared. None of them wanted the song to stop, but Fujin could remember Seifer leaning further, pulling the sheets more comfortably over their pajama'd forms and sighed,  
  
"Fujin, your voice is beautiful. I can't wait to hear you singing for our children"  
  
"POSSIBLE?" there was no edge to her voice now, but old habits die hard.  
  
"Hopefully"  
  
"That would be... PERFECTION" she snuggled deeper into his chest, kissing his collarbone lovingly as she fell asleep listening to him hum the tune. Oh what bliss could now be theirs. If only Rajin could experience love like this. He would, in time, Fujin had no doubt, but he would have to be absolutely certain she was taken care of, Fujin could remember them always promising to stick together forever and he never broke a promise.  
  
Peacefully musing, she didn't notice Seifer lean against the doorframe, smiling to himself at the sight of her gazing at the open window. The last week had been a paradise compared to the past months, even with worries of medical conditions and trial dates, they had been together and didn't have to fight for anything. He remembered to thank Rajin for what little time they had, he could never repay Rajin for what... sacrifice. Clearing his throat, Seifer walked the few steps to where Fujin sat, climbing over the bed and leaning his head onto her shoulder before falling down to lie his head in her lap. Dressed in a pair of black pants and a silver button up shirt, Seifer's green eyes sparkled, set off perfectly by the cross necklace he wore around his neck, everything but the cross a gift from Laguna when Fujin got her dress. He didn't deserve any of this, he deserved whatever Rajin was getting and more, but why fate would allow him to live with such pleasure, he would forever ponder. Fujin ran her gloved fingers through his hair, playing with a few golden strands as they waited for their liason to the prison. He could tell Fujin was excited, she had gotten up early and taken an extra long shower, okay so whether the shower was because of Rajin or the fact that he had joined her... did it really matter? Beyond that, she had dressed in her best, okay only clothing, and had been smiling to herself the whole day. If it had been any other man, Seifer would have slaughtered him in jealousy, but not Rajin, truth be told, Seifer was excited, too.   
  
The door opened with a bang as two figures stepped into the window-lighted room, two figures Seifer wanted to forget: Squall and Rinoa. It's not possible...  
  
"Yes, Almasy. We're your liasons, don't get too excited, we didn't come alone." Squall said, stepping aside to reveal the rest of the Sorceress Six waiting outside their door. Seifer immediately tensed, rolling off the bed and Fujin's lap with ease, landing and fixating his feet on the floor while draping a protective arm around Fujin. Selphie came forward with two coats, one a dark blue suede that went down to the knee with silver buttons and a biker collar for Fujin, the other a grey leather trench with a wide collar and crosses embossed in silver black on the arms for Seifer. Holding the coat open for Fujin to slide on, Seifer eyed the group uneasy, wondering where the heck Laguna was at a time like this. Jostling out of his momentary day-dream with Fujin clearing her throat, he turned to see she had taken his new coat and held it out in the same manner for him. Shrugging it on, he got a chaste, reassuring kiss from Fujin on the cheek as he looked at her lovingly, whispered I love you in her ear as he put his arm around her tiny waist. Rinoa smiled at them, glad that Seifer found someone,   
  
"Seifer, I'm glad that you..."  
  
"Save it, Princess. I'm sure Commander Leonheart would singe in his boots if you finished that sentence. One question: Why you?"  
  
"CONFUSED" Fujin amended, Seifer noticing her revertion into her old turn of phrase.  
  
"Ah can answer that, thank ya." Irvine piped up,   
  
"Ya see, President Loire thought it would do the media good to see you two adimantly protected on your journey to see Rajin... plus...err"  
  
"Galbadia wants you back. The army wants their General, and the government wants your head, the people... they come somewhere in the middle. So you see, it's not a courtesy, it's a necessity" Squall finished, leading the way to the armoured vehicle underneath the medical center. Over the journey, Fujin noticed how the six friends had paired up: Squall drove with Rinoa beside him, Selphie sat practically on top of Irvine, and Quistis looked warily out the window as Zell humfed beside her. Taking Seifer's hand, she squeezed it gently, this was it: to Rajin and maybe the ending of all this. 


	17. Over & Over & over

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Shock, aftershock, and perhaps a bit of smoothing lightness. No, I'm not talking about a new drink, but this chapter. coming to a close: 3 more and then the end.. . would that make four?   
  
Riverwood - Glad you like them, yeah, I'm trying to make it horrible. :) Still awaiting fanfic art  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - thought you'd like that. Rajin traumatized was a necessity, although it was quite hard to do, let's just say a lot of Rosie Thomas went into the making of this chapter. Little plug: if you want to hear peaceful guitar riffs and a pleasant yet slightly nostalgic, sad voice try her on for size.  
  
Kjata - yes, he will miss Shiva and Ifrit. Thanks. I try to make it as real as possible, glad you enjoyed. heh... maybe I should be running, too eh? You should like this one.  
  
=========================================================================  
  
"I've been waiting so long to see him, and now that I have... I wish he were dead. It would be easier."  
  
"Fujin, don't say that. . . Rajin... he'll be okay... he has to be okay... Fujin, I couldn't live with him not being okay"  
  
"At least if he died we would have been able to grieve. We'd have something to fight against, but this? This... lingering? I wish he were dead."  
  
"It's going to be okay"  
  
"No it's not"  
  
"Yes, it is?"  
  
"How? How is it going to be okay? How, Seifer!?"  
  
"I don't know, Fuu... but it has to be okay, It just has to..." Seifer couldn't finish as tears burned in his eyes, melting his eye lids until the hot lava poured down crevasing his cheeks and sinking down onto Fujin's hair. He could already hear the sobs Fujin was trying hard to keep in, but her tears were steadily falling onto his hand where it sat in a feeble attempt at comfort on her chin. They had seen Rajin, and nothing could have saved them from the brokeness seething from Rajin's every pore. Fujin was convinced it was a disease the losers soak up after battle, one that treatens torture for those left behind, as it coaxes the mind to a madness that tears meekly at the soul, bite by bite like a caterpillar chewing a rhubarb leaf, worst of all, she couldn't find a cure. Seifer ran his fingers through his hair, holding onto Fujin's hand as she hung up her dress beside their new coats and Seifer's trousers and shirt, he could never thank Rajin enough for taking his place, even after all the harm Seifer had done, he didn't deserve such glory. Such bliss, such comfort and love. It made him love his Posse so much more, but it also made it impossible to know what he should do next.   
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Rajin sat on the middle table of the huge cafeteria, everyone else had been cleared away save for two guards per entrance, Kiros, and Ward. After they had cleaned him up the best they could, they had shaved his head, his hair being too far gone to save from the onslaught of electricity that had coursed through his body in the past fortnight. The bruises shined like a lighthouse all over his body, nothing being hidden by the white undershirt and green hospital trousers they had found for him to wear. New clothes had yet to be ordered. Hunched over on top of the table top, he refused to sit in a chair... too much like... he couldn't finish that statement as he began to shake at the memories of the electric chair and various other tools of torture they had used. On the table he sat, slurping a bowl of soup hungrily, before yanking a chunk off of the toast they had set beside the bowl. Every so often he would tear off a piece of bread and tell Ward to give it to Shiva and Ifrit, he had to take care of his rats. This is how Seifer and Fujin first saw him, babling about rats and spoons as torture equipment sitting crosslegged on a table top, filing in surrounded by the Sorceress Six, all eight of the young adults shocked at how sallow and starved the former behemoth looked, how the rims around his eyes matched bruises on his cheeks, and cut lip, and arms, and feet, and neck and wrists, and ankles... everywhere.   
  
Fujin let out a yelp, breaking away from Seifer's protective embrace to run the distance to her friend, her protector, her brother,  
  
"Rajin! What did they...? Rajin?" she asked, running up to the table and putting her hands on his knees. As soon as he felt touch, his whole body shook and cringed, as he put down the empty soup bowl and looked down into Fujin's worried stare with feverish eyes.  
  
"F..f..uj. . . Fuu? My little Fuu? You can't be Fujin, you're crying.. . I'm crying, aren't I? Can't let them see that! Who'll take care of my rrats iif I cccry?" Rajin said, bringing his arms down, taking a hand and brushing Fujin's face with it, the other wiping his face.  
  
"You ARE Fujin! Ddid you come to rescue me?" he spoke, a meagre voice squeeking out of what used to boom across plains. Fujin only nodded, grabbing his hand with hers, hardly covering half of it, before he flung his arms around her, lifted her off the floor and onto the table with him, crying like a lost child who had found his mother, hugging her as she threw her arms around what part of him she could crying into his shoulder, petting where he used to have a mop of hair.  
  
Over the tears, Rajin could be heard sobbing,  
  
"Don't let them hurt me... take me away, please don't let them hurt me"   
  
Seifer stood from the entrance watching the gut wrenching scene in horror, backing slowly from the sight of his strongest ally, his best friend, only friend other than Fujin, completely broken, rocking back and forth holding onto Fujin for all the life he had left. His lips quivered, and he understood why Laguna had ordered all the Sorceress Six to escort the visit: anyone else, and he would have found a way to fight back and get Rajin out by force. Unaware of the fact he was backing up, quivering like a stunned child, Seifer hit into something,   
  
"Woa, there Seifer. You okay?" Irvine said, taking a hold of Seifer's shoulder as Seifer spun around to see he had hit Irvine and Selphie. The rest of the Six were in various states of shock, Quistis had slumped to the floor holding her head in her hand as the other was draped on Zell's arm, as he knelt beside her, looking on the scene in front of him in confused horror; Squall held his hand over the holster of his Lionheart Gunblade, the other holding Rinoa to him as she panted back tears, wide-eyed holding on to Squall for fear of falling through the floorboards. What struck him the most in the second he saw all this was Selphie, she clung to herself, Irvine's arm draped around her shoulders and she looked angry, but not just angry, there was such pity and love in her angered eyes he thought he would explode if he didn't turn away. Turn away he did, giving out a gutteral shout as he swung away from Irvine, spinning around and smacking himself into a nearby table, yelling as the corner jutted into his stomach, tumbling backwards holding his hand out as if to protect him from the scene, hitting the corner wall hard,   
  
"No. No, no this can't... Hyne what have I done? What have I done? HYNE! NO! No.." he kept repeating it as the tears came, as he flung his coat around him, letting out cries of agony as his eyes shut and Kiros had to order the guards back to their posts as they trained their guns at him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and tore away, shrinking back from the touch as he blindly flew his arm in the direction of the touch, barely missing whoever had touched him, as he scampered farther along the wall.  
  
"Stay away from me" he snarled, sounding as desperate as a wounded animal, Kiros again having to order the Guards back, barking at them to stand down. Somehow, he knew that what happened next was important, as he opened his eyes to see Selphie again at his side, touching his shoulder, he shrinked away, but didn't fight as the spunky brunette took ahold of his hand, attempting to raise him up,  
  
"You didn't cause this. That... wasn't supposed to happen"  
  
He looked up into her caring, pitiful, angered, sad eyes, breathing heavily to keep the tears back, as Irvine came forward, offering his hand to Seifer's free hand,  
  
"I'm so sorry" Seifer whispered, battling the tears, refusing to cry in front of Squall,  
  
"We know. It's not your fault" Irvine said, serious,  
  
"C'mon, up! Go see him, Seifer. He needs to see you" Irvine finished off, passing Seifer an unused hankie,  
  
"Not like that, though"   
  
Seifer sniffed, nodding as he took the small hankerchief, wiping his face, blinking a few times before sucking in air, nodding stiffly. He was ready; Selphie let go of his hand, gave him a push and sunk her arms around Irvine's waist as he cocked his hat reassuringly, it helped. Walking towards his Posse, or what was left of it, Seifer could hear Fujin singing softly, her voice halting a few times to sniff back tears before continuing the lullaby they had sung yesterday night. Rajin now had his head on Fujin's shoulder, both arms still holding onto the tiny woman practically wrapping twice around her, as she knelt on her knees to reach his shoulders, Seifer turned back, genuinely ashamed and unworthy of whatever healing was being had, but he caught one glimpse at Selphie and Irvine, and turned back.  
  
Clearing his throat, Seifer looked down at his feet, prepared to say... too late, Rajin turned his head, saw the awkward, distressed man beside him, and swung one huge, bruise covered arm around him, using his natural strength, or what was left of it, to bring the blonde man into the hug. All Seifer could do was put his arms around Fujin and Rajin, broken, waisted, finally letting himself feel some relief: Rajin didn't hate him. Unbeknowance to the three of them, Laguna walked into the Cafeteria, B-lining it to Kiros as he saw what condition Rajin was in, after a whisper from Selphie set him off, he was not happy.   
  
Breathing one refreshingly deep breath, Rajin let go his death grip, easing the embrace the three shared,   
  
"Please tt..tell me you two are h..happy?" Rajin whispered, looking hopefully, yet sorrowfully into each of the lovers' eyes.  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE" Fujin whispered back, feeling Rajin's face with her hand, as he leaned into it like a puppy. Seifer took Fujin's waist in one arm,   
  
"Thank you, Rajin. Thank you so much." Seifer said, shaking his head slowly,   
  
"This... this is too much. You shouldn't ... I should be"  
  
"Hey, Seif. You wouldn't h..handle it. I'd do a..aanything for you guys."  
  
"Gratitude"  
  
"It's worth it. Hearing your v..voice.. seeing you so pp.pretty? It's worrth it." Rajin stumbled over the words, looking lovingly into both Fujin's eyes.  
  
"Allways knew you were ..beautiful." Fujin smiled, hugging his neck,  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
"Yes, Rajin? Anything."  
  
"Love her. If you don't... I'll sick my ratts on you, ya know" Rajin said, trying to smile despite the pain from his broken lip. Seifer smiled for him,  
  
"There it is... been waiting f..f.for ttthe Almasssy smile, ya kn..now" Rajin stuttered, clapping his other hand on Seifer's shoulder, looking deep into Seifer's eyes with all the pain, fear, and lingering sanity he had left,  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm gonna go through with this, ya know... Do something for me? L..live. S..sshow Fujjjin what it's like to be h..hhappy, ya know? P..pplease be hhappy. My sacrifice. All mmine. Not yours anymore. Just... save me a sspot on your boat, kay?" Seifer nodded, unable to speak from biting back tears.  
  
"G..ggo, ya know... I g..gotta go back... my rrats'll be h..hungry. I saved them some lunch. Nice lunch, ya know. Go b..be happy, ya k..know."  
  
Rajin released his grip on their shoulders, giving one last pat as he pushed Seifer and Fujin together. Nodding first lightly, and then exageratedly, Rajin looked them over one more time,  
  
"Yep, y..ou'll have cute kids." he said, sliding off the table, warily avoiding the chairs as he put the crumbs he had saved into his bowl, grabbing the bowl to himself as he mumbled,  
  
"Be careful, the chairs are the ones that'll getcha, ya know" as he walked towards where Kiros and Ward stood with Laguna.  
  
"Okay, I'm rready now. Cccan we go back now? My rrats'll be hhungry" Rajin said, smiling as Ward nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder and leading him with the guards back to the cell where Shiva and Ifrit would be waiting. Laguna went to talk to Seifer and Fujin, as Kiros stood there in the middle doors closing on Rajin as he realised, if given the choice to suffer in exchange for Laguna and Raine to be happy, he would have taken every pain Hyne could throw at him. Over and over and over and over and over. 


	18. Trial and Consequence

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Decisions being as they are, I made this chapter a long one, mostly because it is the complete trial. [Just wanted to get it over with, eh?] Enjoy... or whatever...  
  
savggrl - yeah, someone had to suffer... this IS me, happily ever after? Can this be a fairy tale?  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Yes, I wanted it to be a shock for them, seeing their enemy so broken and damaged, thought it would help in the idea that the main enemy in the story is circumstance... and an evil manipulative sorceress. Yes, try and get the song Farewell and I Run, they're good ones.  
  
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'Is this why we need a saviour? Is this why those that fail are caught in such a web they end up walking in a self-imposed exile? Is this why the greatest stories have someone sacrificing themselves!? For glory? For honour? For love. For the bonds of friendship, comraderie, because every moment of pleasure in this world has an equal amount of suffering, and it creates shadows of men. This is why the earth needs a saviour, a blameless person to pay the price. The Man and his Lover walk down the streets, coming to a place they know too well. What of it? What makes it so cold there? So hard to go back? He failed, a friend fell, and damage was done to the world, so the Beggar atones by standing on the street corner, preaching to the wise, and listening, hoping that he can change one life. He has. As they walk the Lover remembers and a smile coaxes the corners of her face, this is it, can they go home now? Yes.'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum   
  
Fujin lazed over a chaise, one leg resting over the arm, the other stretched fully on its length, her arm was supporting her head, the other playing with the ring Seifer had given her on their "shopping trip" in Esthar. Laguna's PR thought it would do the world good to see the two not being imprisoned, plus, Galbadia still wanted Seifer back, they even offered the government if Seifer came back, of course General Caraway didn't offer anything, but it was either him or the General for leadership. The ring was silver, like her hair and had a cross embedded on it in blue/green crystal that shone and sparkled like a diamond. She hated being so public about it, but the Estharian military was having a hard enough time with the shattered Galbadia, they even hired Garden SeeDs to take care of the situation, but there was only so much that could be done. Today was the trial, and before they left for the court house, Fujin had taken a nap, her body was still weak and compensating for the stress and damage from losing the child. Seifer had gone on, since seeing Rajin's condition had taken the legal council and supervised, helping in any way he could to get Rajin out, get an aquittal, and it was looking good, somewhat, okay so the Procecution had a good case, they could still do something. One thing they were worried about was that the Prosecution would ask Seifer and Fujin to testify, and they could do nothing but tell the truth.  
  
The door opened, sending the sounds of the press and the SeeDs Laguna charged to protect the Posse: Selphie and Quistis stood in the doorway,  
  
"Time to go, Fujin." Quistis said, leading her hand to the walkway. Fujin stood, took her coat, shrugging on the soft blue suede, ready to get this over with. Outside the door, she was shocked to see reporters and other people flocking the outside fo the building.  
  
"Come on, Fujin! You can do this" Selphie said, coaxing the slightly taller woman on. Fujin froze.  
  
"NEGATIVE"  
  
"We don't have all day, the trial starts shortly, come on Fujin that's an order" Quistis said, trying to get the woman to move. Irvine came running in, slightly out of breath,  
  
"Guys, Ah got the car waitin', we can go straight in. The crowds are bein' cleared, Estharian Police've got a perimeter. Hey, Seifer's waitin'"   
  
Fujin nodded, clutching her hands together, smoothing out the front of her coat and dress as she walked, quickly spooked as several flashes assaulted her eyes. Quickly, Irvine flung his leather duster between Fujin and the photographers,  
  
"Can't ya see she's havin' a hard enough time as it is? Git!"  
  
"Fujin! Fujin, can you tell us, what condition is Rajin in?"  
  
"When are you and Seifer getting married?"  
  
"Will the Sorceress attend the ceremony?"  
  
"Do you have any plans to go back to Galbadia?" the reporters berated her with questions as Selphie and Irvine flanked the silver haired woman, pushing cameras and microphones out of her face as the Police presence tried to keep a smooth walkway.  
  
"Go away!" Selphie shouted, to one particularly nosy reporter.  
  
"Don't say anything" Selphie whispered to Fujin, putting a hand on her shoulder, then remembering that Fujin NOT saying anything is all too normal.  
  
"Quistis, do you have a statement?" the nosy reporter asked,   
  
"Yes, I do." Quistis said, catching the media's attention so Fujin could get scooted into the awaiting car,  
  
"All statements will be given after the trial is concluded. We're all victims in this"  
  
With that, Quistis took her seat beside Fujin, as Irvine got in and drove off.  
  
"GRATITUDE" Fujin said, looking at each of the people in the car.  
  
"No problem! We're just doing our duty. Everything will work out, I promise"  
  
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Eventually making it through the throng of Police and media, Fujin got into the court house, met Seifer and threw up in the washroom with Selphie holding her hair as the stress of the whole business got to her, washing her mouth out and going back out into Seifer's waiting embrace. As everyone sat in the courtroom, the media in place, Rajin was brought in, and everyone let out an audible gasp as photographers took pictures and he slunk away from the cameras, leaning into Ward as he brought him and sat him in the defendant's box. Three hours into the proceedings, the Prosecution called Fujin to the stand:  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Fujin"  
  
Fujin looked to Seifer, who smiled affirmatively, leading her on. The prosecution saw this,  
  
"Do you have to look to Mr. Almasy for everything?"  
  
"NEGATIVE"  
  
"Then why did you look at him?"  
  
"WHAT?" Fujin said, beginning to panic, she didn't like this 20 questions.  
  
"Answer the question, yes or no!"  
  
"Objection, your Honours! Relevance?" one of the defence lawyers said, the head judge hitting his gavel and silencing the court.  
  
"Sustained, proceed with relevant questions, please"  
  
"Fujin, were you at anytime put in a position of leadership in the Galbadian Army?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"What rank?"  
  
"COMMANDER"  
  
"So, you were a rank above Rajin?"  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE"  
  
"How long did you hold the rank of Commander?"  
  
"BALAMB"  
  
"You havn't been discharged, have you?"  
  
"Objection Speculation, your honour, don't you call being tortured discharge enough?"  
  
"Sustained, but Councellor, don't add to your objections."  
  
"Yessir"  
  
"Back to the trial then, Fujin, did you at any point admit loyalty to Sorceress Edea?"  
  
"NEGATIVE"  
  
"Negative?"  
  
"CORRECT"  
  
"Councellor, I think we have established that the answer is 'negative'. Continue or step down"  
  
"Who gave you the rank of Commander?"  
  
"SORCERESS"  
  
"Who gave Rajin his rank?"  
  
"SORCERESS"  
  
"Who gave Seifer his rank?"  
  
"SORCERESS"  
  
"Where did your loyalties lie?"  
  
"SEIFER"  
  
"Not the Sorceress?"  
  
"NEGATIVE. SEIFER." Convinced he was not going to get her by shooting questions left right and center, the Prosecutor leaned in near to the woman, so close she backed up until she hit the wall. Seifer cringed.  
  
"Who did you take orders from?"  
  
"SORCERESS"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"EDEA"  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
Fujin pointed to where Edea sat next to Rajin in the accused box.  
  
"Thank you. Defence, your witness"  
  
"Thank you, Fujin, did you at any time witness war councils or planning sessions?"  
  
"NEGATIVE"  
  
"Did Rajin?"  
  
"NEGATIVE"  
  
"Who was the Lieutenant?" Fujin cringed, fear penetrating her gaze as Seifer bent over to stand up.  
  
"Take your time," the Defence Councellor said, as Fujin moved her mouth and began breathing heavily, panic taking her as tears of fear welled up in her eyes.   
  
"Your Honours, I move that since this is a delecate subject you allow Seifer to appear on the stand with her for support?"  
  
The Judges spoke amongst themselves before the head judge looked to the prosecution,  
  
"Any objections?"  
  
"None, your honour" the Prosecution said, after getting a sharp glare from Laguna.  
  
Seifer stood, practically running to the stand where Fujin sat, jumping over the rail and throwing his arms around her as she threw her arms around him with equal force. Rajin could be seen standing worriedly, leaning over to get a better view of Fujin. It made one hell of a photo opportunity for the media members allowed in the court room.  
  
"Fujin? Can we continue?"  
  
"Affirmative" Fujin sent out, barely making an impact on the ears of those in sound of it.  
  
"Who was the Lieutenant?"  
  
"TORTURER"  
  
"What did he do to you?"  
  
Fujin gasped again, sinking her head into Seifer's chest, holding onto him until he was sure the strength of her hold would leave a bruise. Seifer stroked her hair, kissing her forehead whispering something into her ear as she stood, holding firmly to Seifer's hands.  
  
"HE..." Fujin cleared her throat, breathing in a heavy breath, "He knocked me out, when I woke up, he had me chained spread eagle to a wall in lunatic Pandora. He was... CUTTING, LICKING BLOOD," Seifer stood, massaging her shoulders gently, aiding her breathing so she could carry on.  
  
"He whipped me, told me I was going to die, that he had always wanted to know what bleeding to death felt like, and that I would have to do. He would thrash me in the stomach, he punched me repeatedly all over, especially in the abdomen with metal knuckles. He told me the Sorceress had ordered that if any of the three of us disobeyed, or stopped following orders, this was the punishment, and since Rajin and I had defected, I was the first to die. That it was the reason Seifer did what the Sorceress said, because she had used me to blackmail him, he didn't want to do anything, Rajin was only trying to protect me!"  
  
"Thank you, Fujin. What was the extent of the damage you sustained in his torturing?"  
  
"I... lost a lot of blood, internal bleeding, kidney transplant... he... I was PREGNANT!! He knew! He said the SORCERESS TOLD HIM, SEIFER FATHER, CHILD GONE! RAGE! NO! ALONE!" Fujin broke into a thunder of sobs, falling back into Seifer's strong arms, him cradling her as if she were a child. Rajin could be heard shouting,  
  
"Lemme go! Lemme see Fuu! Lemme help Fuu!" order in the courtroom broke as the media turned into a mob, taking pictures, and shouting amongst themselves, the head Judge sent his gavel smashing to the pound, calling Order! Order! as the Defence Council called for a Recess, and the Judges agreed. Emptying the courtroom, as Laguna ordered the guards to let Rajin go to Fujin and Seifer, Kiros, Ward and the Sorceress Six took control of the court, protecting all entrance points while Laguna went out to give an update to the press, the door was left open.  
  
"Fuj.. I'm sorry ya know" Rajin said, both his shackled hands covering one of hers. She nodded, still holding onto Seifer for all she was worth,   
  
"Alright, Fuu, okay, this is one big mess. I'm so sorry, Fujin Shh.. shhh, Fujin, sshh, it's over for now, they're gone, it's over. No more questions. sshh"  
  
Outside the press fell silent as they watched the Posse from the place they were being blocked off but could still see inside. They could see Fujin try and rise, then collapse into Seifer again, Rajin kneeling beside them, his fingers barely touching the edge of the box from the shackles on him. One reporter could be heard speaking into his microphone,  
  
"Today we have seen what war and evil can really do. Will we let three more lives be destroyed because they tried to do what they could? This is Barnes, signing off, and praying that the Posse will be alright"  
  
Another reporter called to Laguna,  
  
"Mr. President, will the Posse get help?"  
  
"Yes, already medical staff in Esthar did all they could to save Fujin and her child, but the child was too far gone. We're doing all we can to help them."  
  
-------- Two days later -------  
  
The trial had continued, with Squall, Selphie, Seifer, Rajin, Ellone and finally Edea on the stand. Now, Laguna was being questioned,  
  
"Mr. President, when you saw the advent of the Sorceress, what did you do?"  
  
"I personally knew that Edea had to have been controlled, I sent word to Garden, and mobilized Esthar's troops, I wasn't about to let another Sorceress War kill everything"  
  
"When you said you knew it wasn't Edea in control, why? How did you know?"  
  
"Edea Kramer was the sister of my wife, Hyne rest her soul, I knew her from a few trips I took Raine and Ellone on, and the trips Edea and her husband Cid, Headmaster of Balamb Garden, made to Winhill"  
  
"Very well, when you apprehended Fujin and Rajin, they broke free but you ordered Selphie Tilmitt, SeeD, not to follow, why?"  
  
"I remembered what it had felt like to lose my wife, and I knew the Posse would do no more harm to anyone"  
  
"How did your wife die?"  
  
"Giving birth to our son"  
  
"Is this son still living?"  
  
Laguna sighed, he didn't think Squall was going to like this, "Yes"  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
"Squall Leonheart" the court room errupted in murmers as Squall locked eyes with Laguna, questioning whether it was wise to announce such a famous fatherhood.  
  
"Why did you have Squall and Ellone sent to Centra to be taken care of by Edea Kramer, whom you knew was a Sorceress?"  
  
"Esthar was a war zone, I had just been elected President, and told of my wife's death. I didn't even know she was pregnant. I was in no position of getting Esthar under control and taking care of an infant son and small girl. Esthar was dangerous, I knew Edea would keep them safe."  
  
"And did she?"  
  
"To the best of her ability. Everything depended on keeping Ellone safe. If another Sorceress came on the scene, well, let's just say this is the result, and it could have been much worse."  
  
"Is this why SeeD came about?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"When you found Rajin alone in Lunatic Pandora, what did you do?"  
  
"I went with Kiros and Seifer to get Fujin back before... we were a little late"  
  
"What was the deal you cut with Rajin?"  
  
"He claimed all guilt of the Posse's actions in exchange for Fujin getting the medical attention she needed, and that Seifer and Fujin could remain together."  
  
"This was satisfactory?"  
  
"Yes, otherwise... Rajin and Fujin had defected, the Galbadian troops had fallen out of Seifer's control and into the Lieutenant's, as the Sorceress had ordered. Seifer was never responcible for Galbadia's actions."  
  
All questioning and evidence attended to, the judges went into seclusion to see to the verdict and sentencing and the entire room fell quiet waiting. After three long hours, the judges re-entered,   
  
"We the Judges presiding over this Tribunal have reached a verdict concerning Mrs. Edea Kramer, and Rajin, will the defendants please stand?" Edea and Rajin stood as the court room fell into a veil of awkward, anticipatory silence,   
  
"Edea Kramer, we give the verdict of not-guilty under the defence of possession. Rajin we give the verdict of not-guilty on all counts under self-defence and attempts to thwart the Sorceress' plans."  
  
Audible sighs, gasps and exclaimations came from around the courtroom as several people stood,  
  
"Furthermore, we pass that the Posse get full retribution for the harm done, including psychiatric help and that for the next five years Rajin, Fujin and Seifer become wards of the state of Esthar and it's President Laguna Loire, to live in complete freedom, and have an annual allowance each of pay equal to a level 20 SeeD to be provided by the Estharian and Galbadian governments. This money is to be put into a Trust Fund until the Posse reaches 19, and continue to be paid for the next 10 years. A separate bank account for each will include enough to clear all expenses through President Loire, plus allowances. Our suggestion is that you live low for the assigned five years, travel, relax, don't work or stress yourselves. One condition: do not go back to Galbadia, and do not join or become part of any paramilitary organization during the allotted five years. Understood?"  
  
More than excited, Rajin nodded until people thought his head would bounce off, as Kiros unlocked the shackles and threw them off, letting him go, as he walked slowly over to where Seifer and Fujin were hugging, not wanting to disturb them, he turned, in time to feel a hand rest on his shoulder.  
  
"Rajin? Thanks" Seifer said as the larger man turned around to get an uncharacteristic hug and slap on the back from the smaller blonde man.  
  
"FAMILY" Fujin said, throwing both the men into another hug, practically toppling them over down to her level. Behind them, Kiros cleared his throat, causing all three Posse members to jerk their heads towards him, Rajin flinching and massaging his temple from the action,  
  
"I am sorry to disturb, but the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press are waiting for a statement"  
  
So the Press release begun, and all three fielded many different questions, Fujin giving her patent one word responses, Rajin shakily explaining when he wanted to, otherwise, Seifer took over.  
  
"Rajin, what will you do now?"  
  
"Ah... I... dunno... uhm..."  
  
"He's going to come with us. We've stayed together this far, and the Posse can't exist for long without him" Seifer said, as it appeared a load fell off of Rajin's back and he stood a little taller. Maybe the sacrifice had already been made. 


	19. Haze and Openess

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Okay, on with the beginning is the beginning of the end in the end or something like that. This chapter concentrates on the after affects of Rajin's imprisonment, and some lovely Seifuu moments nearer the end. Wendel: big dragon thing. [for those who know not] I promise next chapter will be more fun. Sorry it took so long, I've started *gaspshock* another FF8 fic! A Laguna/Raine, to boot! so this took some time.  
  
Kjata - Morrowind... oh the joys of discovering RPG's. I know it well. What SHALL happen? hmmmm...  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - I do like emotion. good luck on your swimming.   
  
=========================================================================  
  
A month after the trial, things had sort of died down. Sort of as in not at all, but the Posse had grown used to walking the streets of Esthar with one or three Estharian Elite Guardsmen and constant photographers snapping pictures. Even Fujin seemed to be getting more used to the constant stares, then again, she had been stared at as long as I can remember. Funny how it all goes on you, ya know. Yeah, Today the Posse was in the shops, Seifer and Fujin were trying on different pairs of sunglasses, okay, so Seifer was buying Fujin a pair of sunglasses, he was just trying them on to make her laugh. Funny how sometimes people forget we're just 18 years old, still kids. Okay, this is how it goes, I'm trying to write stuff down in this Hyne-forsaken tiny lined journal the Psych-dude gave me to work out my thoughts. I still don't talk much, and my words are kinda stumbly. I feel like I'm writing in crayon... then again, maybe I am? I say the Posse, 'cause looking at those two love birds... I wanted them to be this way, but I still can't get back into it all again, it just... I can't sleep anymore. I admit it, I have lost the ability to sleep. No, it's not insomnia, but every time I close my eyes, the dreams start again, the voices, the screams, the blood, the pulsing electricity and the rats... my mind is full of images that no one should ever have to see... that's what the torture did to me. Lately, I heard that there's this drug people take to make them sleep... sorta shuts down their brains, ya know... well I've been taking it. I'm not proud of it, but I have to sleep, if I don't sleep I go further insane, if that's possible. There's this guy I go to, in this underground club in the warehouse district, I pay, he dishes, I spend three, four hours sleeping in a small dark room, then walk back to the flat we were given in the Presidential Palace, and no one knows I'm gone. The drug takes away my appetite, I eat when the others are watching, then throw it up later, not that I want to, but if that's the price I'm gonna pay then it's worth it, ya know. Looks like Fujin found a pair she likes, steel frame with opaque irridescent lenses, she can see out, we can't see in. Time's up.  
  
"Hey, Fujin they look great, ya know!"  
  
"HONEST?"  
  
"Heh. Yeah, what don't I have to be honest about, ya know?"  
  
Seifer eyed the burly young man suspiciously, he had caught him sneaking in this morning but he didn't ask.   
  
"Okay, what's to say we go back to that weapons shop, I saw a few boot knives I liked" Seifer said, paying the vendor and angling the sunglasses perfectly straight on Fujin's face. She stuck her tongue out at him, he licked it back with his own. Time: 1.7 seconds.  
  
"Uhmm... Seif... you know what the Judge said..."  
  
"I know, they're only small, within our limits. I just want to make sure we're protected if something happens."  
  
"By we you mean Fuu, right?"  
  
"Of course, Fujin being part of the we... Rajin, you okay?"  
  
"Huh? sure thing, boss... just feel kinda... *gulp* clausterphobic... ya know..."  
  
Seifer and Fujin both turned to Rajin, who was fidgeting with his hands, wringing his fingers together, as his shirt hung suspiciously loose against his 7'0" frame. The couple looked at each other, but Fujin stepped forward,  
  
"KNIVES WAIT, HOME" taking Rajin's mammoth hand in hers, and towing the broken man lightly to the exit. Seifer stood for half a minute, grazing his eyes over a piece of paper that slipped out of Rajin's pocket, it was the piece of journal. Slowly lifting up his eyes, he whispered,  
  
"Rajin, what are you doing?" to himself as he walked to catch up to his family. Hyne, what now?  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
Laguna heard a knock at his door... that made um, three today! Score, less work! Or more... depending on who was knocking,  
  
"If you're a terrorist or a secretary with more paperwork, beggone! Come back tommorrow! If you're someone else, come right in!" Laguna called, as the door crept open to reveal a very distraught, guilty looking Seifer.  
  
"Ah, Seifer what a surpr... you look like ... awful. What's wrong?"   
  
Practically creeping into the room, Seifer grimaced, closing the door and jumping slightly as Laguna pushed a button and locked it.  
  
"Got that button put in for Treaty negotiations. Works quite well. It also keeps people out in the case of a lock-down. Kiros'll be around in 20 minutes to check on me. Okay, spill. Why the gloom? How's Fujin?"  
  
"Hm? Fujin? Fuu's good. Really good, she's taking everything well. It's Rajin... Sir... I found this in his pocket" Seifer stuttered, face locked in serious mode, as he put down the folded piece of paper,   
  
"And... I caught Rajin sneaking back into our flat this morning at about ..."  
  
"4:32 am."  
  
"What?" Seifer looked up stunned, watching as Laguna pushed another button and a chair came up from the floor, to which Seifer fell into.  
  
"I love buttons. Yes, well at least that's when he entered the Presidential Residence Compound. We've been tracking all of you since you got here. Rajin especially. You and Fujin weren't as much of a worry, you seemed to cling to each other and just want to mend things, one fundimental difference."  
  
"What's the difference?"  
  
"You, Seifer, weren't tortured. Rajin was. Well, so was Fujin, but that was different, she has you. Who does Rajin have? Actually, we were going to give him another week before we took action, but since you came... I'm not going to bullshit with you, Rajin is in serious trouble. Not just over curfew, and the Judge's order, but do you know what Rajin has been doing?"  
  
"I read the page, what's he on?"  
  
"Frankly, we don't know completely. So far, we've traced the compound to Crystal Meth, laced with extacy, and some things that are most similar to rat poison. His adrenaline levels are completely out of proportion, his nervous system is in the midst of frying out, and the chemical reaction levels in his brain are ... if Rajin wasn't as big as a wendel he would be dead six times over. Besides the drugs, he's been heavily drinking, he hasn't eaten a thing voluntarily for the past month, and he hasn't slept. We can't wait much longer before the damage he's doing is irevocable."  
  
Seifer sat back, wiping his face with his hands. What a mess, Rajin's paying the price for my mistakes, all mine. Laguna turned his computer screen to Seifer's view, a video of Rajin's torture sessions playing with muffled sound.  
  
"What'd they do to him?"  
  
"Pardon?" Laguna asked, turning the volume up with the controller he held.  
  
"Rajin never took a drug in his life! He didn't even take painkillers! He was too big for them, they'd pulse through his system without anything! He didn't even drink that much! Of course, we'd have a few drinks between friends, but two, three beers, that was it! He wasn't touching anymore! Hynedammit! He's the responcible ONE! HE KNOWS BETTER!! Me, yeah I can understand, Fujin, more likely but RAJIN?! Oh my Hyne, what the HELL did you DO TO HIM!?" Seifer had risen, and slammed his fists on Laguna's desk sending papers flying as he swiped the desk clean, throwing a flower vase against the wall. Laguna jumped off the desk and slid into Seifer, body slamming him into the wall. Seifer cursed more, pathetically trying to get a grip as he struggled with Laguna as the older man slammed him into the wall again, dislodging a picture of some scenery to send it catapaulting to the floor with a crackle. Raggedly breathing, Seifer took a blind swing at Laguna as the father caught his swing, and something in Seifer snapped, he just crumbled to the floor in a heap, embarassed as heck to be sobbing in front of the President, eyes fixated on the screen as he saw his best friend screaming at the top of his charred, electrifed lungs as another bought of electricity went coarsing through the chair he was bound to.   
  
"No... no, turn it off... Hyne I'm sorry... RAJIN I'M SORRY!!!" he cried out, letting out a yelp of anguish as he saw the tape switch to the guards beating a blindfolded Rajin who was chained to the ceiling with staves and sharp objects. Laguna paused the image, bending down to the level where Seifer Almasy had tried to shield himself with his new trenchcoat.  
  
"Those guards... they've been given reprimands, and delegated to latrine duty for the rest of their stay in the Estharian Military.. I'm sorry to say the better more brutal ones have been taken to special ops as interogators. Seifer? Seifer listen to me..."  
  
The boy held his knees to his chest, he was shaking,  
  
"You beat me..."  
  
"You didn't try" Laguna whispered as a knock came at the door, followed by pounding and official voices calling for their President.  
  
"Everything's fine in here... uuhh... a Cactuar got in?... yes..no! I mean, go back to your posts! Yeah, I'll clean up!" he winked at Seifer, whose eyes were locked on the screen,  
  
"That shoulda been me" Seifer whispered, after the guards were out of earshot of the door,  
  
"Yeah. Rajin knew you'd never come out alive, he did it to protect you. Pretty good job. Hey, there's nothing you can do for him." Laguna said, sitting down beside the distraught blonde,  
  
"I've got to do something, he's my friend"  
  
"The best you can do is marry Fujin, and go on a long honeymoon doing it like rabbits"  
  
"How can.."   
  
"I say that?"  
  
Seifer nodded,   
  
"Because that's the reason Rajin risked it all anyways, for the sole purpose of getting you and Fujin to a very happy place. I'll take care of Rajin, but it'll do him more good to see you and Fujin having the time of your lives then you here worrying about him. Trust me. Okay?"  
  
Seifer nodded again, Laguna helped him stand as he let go of Laguna's offered hand and Laguna unlocked the door, he stopped, looking shakily back at the older man, a small smile tugging at the sides of his face,  
  
"For all it's worth... you'd make a great dad." Laguna looked back at the blonde, a tinge of sadness in his face,  
  
"Wish that were true."  
  
"Call him" Seifer said, guilt edging out his nerve.  
  
"What?"   
  
"Call him, no matter how much he says he doesn't want to talk... he wants to talk. he just doesn't know where to start."  
  
"Thanks" Laguna said, feeling a familiar cramp creep up in his leg, he ignored it,  
  
"Oh, and Seifer? We'll have the ceremony when you two get back"  
  
"Thanks." Seifer nodded and left, walking forcibly toward the hardest thing he would have to do in his life... besides the whole Sorceress thing.  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Rajin was broken. That's all she could tell, he was hiding it all to save her and Seifer from worry. Perhaps... no, she thought, she wouldn't leave Rajin at a time like this, but then again he wasn't going to open up any time soon. She'd talk to Seifer about it... speaking of which, he just opened the door, a look of resolve and worry coating his face. Fujin walked up to her lover, looked into his eyes and knew exactly what to do: pack. Closing him in for a hug, she draped her arms around him and let him carry her into the next room, where Rajin sat with the lights off, "washing" his arm with his hand. Letting go, she held Seifer's hand, then released it, giving him one last look of assurance before setting off to their bedroom to pack what little they were going to need. One thing occurred to her as she put a few changes of her clothes and some of Seifer's in the suitcase, she didn't ask where they were going, it really didn't matter though, just somewhere quiet, peaceful, away from everyone. She could hear the conversation taking place in the other room,  
  
"It's not going to be for a long time... just a month, less even! Fujin and I... we just need some... time. Think of it as Fujin and my honeymoon."  
  
"You're leaving?"  
  
"Not for good! We'll be back in a month as I said, then when we get back, we'll have the ceremony so everyone can be there. What do you say? Are you going to be alright without us?"   
  
"Umm... yeah. Ya know, I'll be okay... I will actually be okay.. ya know. You and Fujin need time... just a month? Hey, why not take two, ya know? More time to plan things... the ceremony, ya know... can I plan it? For you guys?"  
  
"Heh, yeah, Rajin, two months sounds great. I'm sure you'll do an awesome job planning things. Okay, we're leaving. Now, actually."  
  
Fujin could hear the serious nature of their words, it wasn't a friendly conversation, it was asking how long Rajin needed to get better, both knew it; as Fujin walked out of the bedroom with their suitcase, she packed another bag with their personal hygiene products from the bathroom, and reached for their weapons, carefully placing them alongside their suitcase and other bag. Ready to go.  
  
She could see Rajin standing, still towering over her lover even with the gauntness of his starvation, grabbing Seifer into a brotherly hug as he caught eye of Fujin through the doorway.   
  
"Goodbye, Rajin. Take care of yourself okay? I expect a nice wedding" Seifer said, the door opening to reveal Kiros and Laguna standing there with two guards and Ward. Rajin shivered and hunched over at the sight of Ward,  
  
"They're not taking me away are they, ya know? I gotta wedding to plan, ya know" he said, voice hardly a whimper. Fujin tip toed up and brought Rajin into a hug, no kicking his shins today... usually that was what she would have done, but he seemed so... fragile.   
  
"LATER"  
  
"You too, Fuu... hey look I rhymed... ya know" Rajin said, acting victorious, yet muted, Fujin nudged his shin with her foot,  
  
"GET BETTER"  
  
"Yeah, I'll try ya know"  
  
"ORDER!"  
  
"Well in that case, ya know... I've gotta, ya know"  
  
Kiros came in and took the couple's bags, passing them to Ward while Laguna gave their itinerary,  
  
"You'll be spending your vacation at Matron's House, Edea kindly offered it to you, since she's currently at Garden with Cid, everything you need is there, supplies will be sent weekly for as long as you're there, and to stave boredome: you two get the wonderful job of continuing the rennovations Edea started. Enjoy the quiet, you'll be on Centra alone, no one will bother you, the Ragnarok is prepped to take you there. Have fun"  
  
  
  
----------------------------------------------------------  
  
The last the two saw of Rajin was his waving as they went down the hall to the hanger, wow, Fujin had never seen the whole ship, and it was beautiful. Sitting in the passenger bay, Fujin had her journal open, but she found there was nothing to write. Seifer came in, sat beside her as the pilot... who sounded strangely like Selphie Tilmitt wished them a happy voyage, and an ETA of 80 minutes at top speed, so not much funny business... yep, gotta be Selphie Tilmitt. Fujin thought, jerking forward and sideways as the Ragnarok took off rather shakily. Seifer had to catch Fujin as she went sliding to the isle, she ended up on his lap, she didn't mind. Neither did he. One hour and twenty one minutes later, Seifer picked Fujin up, his arm under her knees and cradling her back and slung the three bags they brought over his shoulders,  
  
"Last Stop, Honeymooning! All Clothing optional, Booyaka!"  
  
"Selphie! Gimme the microphone! Gimme!"  
  
"Aawww Irvy! Just one more th... aahahahahaaa Stttop! That Tickless!!! OOO!! Mate like bunnies!"  
  
The voices of Selphie Tilmitt and Irvine Kinneas faded into a wash of laughter and tickles as Irvine forgot to turn off the intercom. Fujin and Seifer just looked at each other and laughed, walking off the ship to the door. Clothing optional, eh? 


	20. Sweet Bliss

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Finals suck. Here [after a looonnnggg time] is the final chapter of Nobus, it will be followed with an epilogue, hope you enjoy a little.  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Yeah, I love Selphie's spunk. oh, he'll be okay. C'mon, I can't leave everyone broken, now can I? Yay for 3rd!  
  
=========================================================================  
  
He awoke with the gurgle of someone taking a desperate breath out of water, as his groggy vision caught sight of an angel. Her blonde hair was partly held back, and her pink suit shone in the dimness of the purely white room: Quistis sat guiding Rajin up. Kiros had thought it would be a good idea to have someone familiar with Rajin over his recovery, Quistis had volunteered being both his teacher and his fellow soldier she had felt it was her place. Plus, being a part in Rajin's recovery would be one more step towards re-instatement as an Instructor in Balamb Garden and if Rajin was to try something, Quistis could take him down. Hard.   
  
Gasping upwards, Rajin caught his breath, heaving his lungs as his chest sunk and rose to the air flowing, surging through his body. Not another nightmare.   
  
"Rajin? Talk to me, what happened?"  
  
"I ... uh... I ... crying... pain, hurt, sparks! NO! I won't ya know! Lemme alone!!!" Rajin bellowed, a greater strength than had been heard for a month seeping into his voice as he shivered and convulsed lightly under his blanket. Quistis shook her head, getting off her chair to kneel beside him, wrapping her gloved arm around his shoulders,  
  
"You have to try, Rajin"  
  
"Don't leave me, everybody leaves me ya know!"  
  
"I'm not going anywhere. Please tell me what you saw?" the golden SeeD said, solemnly, a grimm set to her young face.  
  
Rajin seemed to ponder her words for a moment, mulling them through his head like an elderly woman stirring a cauldron, before shutting his eyes tight,   
  
"They were... torture, ya know. They'd jab me with metal sticks, ya know, just enough to cut me, then *gulp* turn on the electricity, ya know... I.. I... i i ii... Hyne, Quisttttis, hhhelp ME!" Rajin started, ending with a quick and violent turn towards the blonde female, grabbing her shoulders as three Estharian Guards came forward. Quistis called them away before Rajin saw them, catching one of Rajin's massive hands in her two.  
  
"It's over, Rajin. No more torture okay? They aren't going to do anything to you. It's over, do you hear me? You are going to be okay"  
  
"Ya know" Rajin said, looking shakily into Quistis' blue, calm eyes with his destroyed, bloodshot red ones, "You are the first person to tell me that I'm going to be okay, ya know"  
  
Quistis smiled at him, letting his hand go as she peeled off her arm length gloves, holding out her naked fingers as Rajin put his hands up, his palm to her palm, his fingers curling over top of hers with the size.  
  
"There, a..aa..all bett..ter" Rajin whispered, his voice suddenly hoarse, "Never been this ...close.. befffore, ya knnow"  
  
"And I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to help you, Rajin, I'm here because no matter how corny and unfeeling it sounds, I refuse to let you be destroyed."  
  
The two opposites sat together in silence a while longer, tears sporratically trickling down Rajin's face as for the first time in the month he had been in rehab,  
  
"I'm... hungry, ya know"  
  
"Good, what do you want?"  
  
"I... uh.. c..can you choose ffor me please?"  
  
"Sure. How does some fruit sound?"  
  
"G.ggood. It sounds good"  
  
After demolishing two apples, three pears, a banana, two oranges and a mango, Rajin sat again on his bed, still not trusting chairs, as he pulled out a book from the matress,  
  
"T..this is the wedding book I'm mmaking for Ssseifer and Fuj... ya know... I c..ccan't cut the picttures I want straight.. ccccan you help, ya know?"  
  
"Of course. What are we working on today?"  
  
"Dddrresses"  
  
"Okay, what do you think Fujin would like"...  
  
Quistis and Rajin picked the Bride's Gown, and the bride's maids dresses in a little under two hours, all the while Rajin would edge closer to his saviour, until he stifled a yawn. Another first.  
  
"Do you want to sleep, Rajin?"  
  
"Yea.. no! No, I'm awake, ya know... It's just that.. when I s..sleep yoou... l..lleavve, ya know"  
  
"Rajin, I don't have to leave. Here" Quistis said, taking the white and silver scrapbook out of Rajin's hands and placing it on the floor, "I'll stay here with you, okay?"  
  
"Y..e..eah, that'd bbbe ... tthanks ya knnow"  
  
Rajin took painstaking seconds rising and fixing his pillows and blankets before checking under his bed and around the room before easing himself onto its bending form slowly. Kicking off her boots and unclipping her hair, Quistis turned the lights down before easing herself onto the bed beside Rajin, thanking him as he held the blankets up for her until she got settled crooked facing the doorway, his breath on the top of her head. Calmly, Rajin eased his arm around her shoulders, nervously grasping for a hand, finding hers as she squeezed it. Several minutes passed, Quistis was still wide awake, but could hear Rajin's breathing becoming more regulated,  
  
"Quistis?"  
  
"Yes, Rajin?"  
  
"Ya don't h..have to sttay iff you'd not want, ya know"  
  
"Nonsense, Rajin. I said I wasn't leaving and I am not leaving. Now shh. Let's both try and get some rest. Is that a deal?"  
  
"Dddeal, ya know" Silence blanketed the two for several more minutes before Rajin shifted, getting closer to the blonde SeeD, cupping her body with his own,  
  
"Qustis?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"T..tthank you.. This is niice"  
  
"You're welcome. . . Goodnight"  
  
"'Night" the mammoth bronze man whispered, his lips curving into a smile. Laguna and Kiros watched from behind the two way mirror, Laguna began to nod, the kid's done it. Rajin's gonna be okay. Laguna left to attend to bigger and more pressing political matters as Kiros   
  
---------------------------------  
  
31 days, 42 paint cans and 17 dozen condoms later, Fujin and Seifer were putting the finishing touches on what they refered to as the Red Room. For their honeymoon, Edea had given them full private use of her house on Centra, with the one duty to get as far as possible redoing the place, just in case they weren't busy enough. The Red Room was oriental inspired, with bleached wood trim and cinnamon crimson walls, since the ceiling was stone, they whitewashed it with a bleached out terracotta colour they couldn't decide on until Fujin dumped the colour she wanted in, two hours and a couple romps on the couch, deck and kitchen later, they started painting it. Fujin leaned over to fix a line of paint, corrected the problem and with that, finished the room. Leaning up and stretching to the ceiling, she noticed Seifer's shirt had a red handprint on it. Chuckling slightly, she caused him to turn from where he was putting the lid on a paint can, to hear more laughter errupt from Fujin's doubled over form.  
  
"What's so funny?" Seifer asked, dropping the paint can into a box and wiping his hands on each other before noticing that they were completely red and covered in wet paint.  
  
"FACE!" Fujin laughed, taking the corner of her t-shirt and wiping a CD sized paint blob on Seifer's cheek.  
  
"Did I get any on my shirt?"  
  
"BACK" Fujin said, grabbing for the hem of Seifer's shirt  
  
"Hey! Ever heard of personal space?"  
  
Fujin pretended like she was thinking, "NEGATIVE"   
  
"Yeah? Well then," Seifer smirked, stripped his shirt and went for Fujin palms up. The lithe silver headed young woman fell and spun, away from her soon to be husband, booking it for the door, grabbing the doorframe as she swung in a sharp turn as Seifer followed. He chased her down to the water, she dove in, Seifer followed with some trepidation, but ended up following full heartedly as she splashed him with large amounts of water. Both were laughing, even after Seifer caught Fujin and realized her tactics worked, by the time he got her in the ocean, the water had washed the wet paint away. Fujin swung her arms around his neck, smashing a sloppy kiss on the young blonde man, he smirked in the kiss, swinging them both around, hearing Fujin's yelp as he flung both of them into the water. He laughed as Fujin stood up, gasping and wiping her face and hair,  
  
"What's the matter, Fujin? You liked the water a second ago" he laughed, not even dodging her as she lunged at him, splashing both of them below the surface, only to have Seifer cough up a mouthful of seaweed. Both got out of the water, falling every two steps as the tangled together, stealing kisses at any exposed flesh, and lips. Once standing on the beach, Seifer helped Fujin strip her soaked shirt, a line of clothing littering the way up from the beach as their foreplay continued. They didn't make it to the bedroom.  
  
Sighing lazily on the floor of the living room, in front of the fireplace, which had been in a constant state of flame, Seifer held Fujin to him, her arm snaking around his waist, the other gently stroking his chest as he fingered through her still damp hair. Fujin's leg raised itself to clamp along Seifer's waist. He let out a moan and shiver.  
  
"Fujin?"  
  
She nodded against his shoulder, kissing his chest.  
  
"Do you regret anything?"  
  
"BREAKFAST BAGEL"  
  
"Fuj, I'm being serious"   
  
This was not a normal post-sex Seifer conversation, Fujin looked up, noticing the grim set of his face, how his scar wrinkled slightly, how his jaw was locked, so she leant up and kissed him sweetly.  
  
"AFFIRMATIVE" if the great Seifer Almasy was going to open up, damn her if she didn't.  
  
Seifer steeled himself before asking, "What?"  
  
"LOSING CHILD"  
  
Her partner seemed to deflate, reaching over and lifting Fujin closer to his face, atop his chest with his well-muscled arms,  
  
"You never told me. Why didn't you tell me?" he said, his heart almost breaking.  
  
"I..." Fujin closed her teary eyes, "Rajin told me about the Lieutenant. I couldn't... we couldn't just leave, Seifer. SeeD would have chased after us in seconds. I had to risk some sort of redemption. Plus, you were acting all different and cold, I knew the sorceress was getting to you. I would be damned if I had left you"  
  
"Did anybody know?"  
  
"Rajin suspected, the sorceress seemed to,"  
  
"Does it hurt?"  
  
"Used to"  
  
"I'm sorry, Fujin"  
  
"SEIF..."  
  
"No, let me finish. I'm sorry I didn't try harder to get out, I'm sorry I didn't see you. Truth is, I can't wish none of this had ever happened, 'cause if it did, we wouldn't be here. ... It took a war and the apocalypse to get this stupid head of mine to get around the idea that I need someone... I need you, Fujin. I need you so much. . . I LOVE you, Fujin"  
  
Fujin shifted, bringing Seifer up with her, to have her straddling him in a sitting position, looking into his pleading, needy, pathetically sad eyes.  
  
"I can't say I've always loved you, Seifer. It took time, and it took seeing how broken you had become for me to love you. Yes losing our child hurt and still does, but more than that, above that, I wouldn't trade the past three months for all the peace in the world. So many things have happened, yes Rajin's paying for it, yes Galbadia is torn, and yes Squall and the others risked everything to kill some evil bi*ch, but . . . I have a feeling that there was something governing all this, everything that happened needed to, Seifer. I know you have a hard time dealing with Hyne, and the fact that she may very well be more than a myth to scare bad children, but think about it I didn't lose the child absolutely until right after Squall and them defeated Ultimecia. I don't know why, but call it mother's intuition: it was meant to happen. That means this was meant to happen, too." Fujin leaned up to Seifer's open mouth, questioning eyes, and kissed him with all the soul left in her. Something in Seifer lifted, he sunk back into the couch, exploring Fujin's mouth as she lifted away,  
  
"SEIFER, LOVE" Seifer Almasy smiled a wide, spacious grin, picking Fujin up and carrying her to their bedroom. Oh sweet bliss. 


	21. Ending and Passage of Time

==============================================================  
  
ANNOUNCEMENT: To all my great reviewers, thanks. To all who've read the story, thanks. This is it. I will be adding cameos of the characters of Nobus into Whence Cometh the Rain, and maybe a few shorts [one shots]. I'll try and make this a long one, this is Ara signing off.  
  
"gaudeamus igitur iuvenes dum sumus; Dei gratia" [therefore let us rejoice while we are young, by the grace of God]  
  
Kjata - yep. Of course not in the way you would think. unleesss...  
  
Perfect Soldier 01 - Aawww... I'll write more... some day. Thank you for all your support and reviews, ideas and awesome approach to everything. It's been a blessing writing for you and I couldn't have done it all without your support, my friend. May the Lord richly bless you in your travels and works.  
  
==============================================================  
  
"Wedding Day, ya know" Rajin said, his voice a much stronger, more usual timbre. He was dressed in the black trousers he'd wear for the ceremony, and had his tux shirt sleeves rolled up a la Laguna, Quistis was buttoning the shirt, but he reached over and grabbed her hands.  
  
"Not yet, eh? Gotta go pick 'em up first, ya know. ... Feel like a penguin like it is, don't need any more buttons or nothing, ya know."  
  
"Okay, let's go get them. You ready for this?" Quistis asked, straightening her hair, and the collar on her usual pink suit. For some reason she was nervous. Not over seeing Seifer and Fujin again, but of what they would think seeing her with Rajin. Truth was, she wasn't going anywhere, not until after the three returned to Balamb on her way back to Garden. The two opposites walked down beyond the security details to where the Ragnarok sat docked in the hangar. Rajin held his breath as the gang plank lowered and Fujin and Seifer walked out of the ship, holding each other's hand as they looked on for Rajin just a bit tensely. The tension soon faded into laughter as Rajin hugged Fujin, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around, letting her go as he brought Seifer into a manly hug and slap on the back.  
  
"Wow. Some improvement, you knocked the wind out of me, Rajin!" Seifer smiled, sharing a glance with Fujin.  
  
"Whaddaya think, Fuj? I fit the bill, ya know?" Rajin asked, doing a 360 as Fujin smirked and motioned him to twirl.  
  
"APPROVE"  
  
"That's all I need, ya know. So, time to get ready for the wedding, ya know... starts in two hours, ya know"  
  
Seifer and Fujin looked at each other shocked,   
  
"WHAT? Rajin!" Seifer said, pulling Rajin towards where he thought the prep-room for him would be. Rajin ended up grabbing his coat collar and swinging him through the opposing hall. Quistis and Fujin just looked at each other, both rolling their eyes at the same time.  
  
"LEAD" Fujin spoke, allowing Quistis to nod and begin a brisk walk through the halls in the opposite direction of the sprinting Rajin and Seifer.  
  
Once in the dressing room, and more thoroughly settled, Seifer laced up a polished black shoe, looking over to where Rajin counted off the things he had to remember before the ceremony.  
  
"So, Rajin you doing good?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, ya know. Quisty's been great about the whole thing. Even helped plan things, ya know"  
  
"Yeah?" Seifer leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smirking, "Been getting fresh 'n frisky?"  
  
Rajin proceeded to stumble over an ottoman, and mumble things under his breath until he got everything to rights, including picking up soggy flowers and putting them back in the half-filled vase they fell from.  
  
"N..nno, ya know... Quistis and I aren't like that ya know. She's been helping out, ya know. Laguna thought someone familiar would do more good than some shrink, ya know. We're just.. just"  
  
"Friends?"  
  
"Yeah, ya know. I mean, we might share a room and all, but.. BUT ya know, it's not like you'n' Fujin, ya know"  
  
"Still wondering why blondie'd take time away from Instructordome..."  
  
"They sorta fired her from bein' an instructor. She'd been hoping after this ya know she'd be reinstated, ya know."  
  
"She told you that?"  
  
"Yeah, she tells me everything, ya know."  
  
"I'm guessing it's mutual?"  
  
"Heh. Yeah. Hey! Time's a waistin' ya know. Can't be sidetracked, ya know... how'd I look?"  
  
Seifer scanned his burly Bronze friend, in truth, he looked better than before, his colour returned to its original darkness, his clothing filled out and his face wasn't sallow, and he had a sort of contented aura surrounding him, Seifer was glad.  
  
"Hey, Rajin?"   
  
"Yeah, buddy?"  
  
"Thanks. This is... just thanks"  
  
"'Course! Had to make sure Fuu got the wedding of a lifetime, ya know. Oh, by the way, if you hurt her at all, I will seriously kick your ass, ya know. All the way to Diablos, ya know. An I can do it, too. Besides, Quistis would be more than happy to help in the butt whoopin' ya know"  
  
The two smiled, breaking into a hearty laugh that Laguna and Kiros could hear down the corridor where Kiros was fixing Laguna's tie. He'd be leading Fujin down the aisle after all.  
  
=============  
  
Fujin stood patiently as Quistis did up the back of Fujin's wedding dress. Nope, no zipper, that would be too easy, there were buttons, almost 75 tiny, white buttons lacing up the back of the crisp, white, tank style sleeve wedding dress, completely devoid of lace, as Fujin was thankful to notice.  
  
"GRATITUDE"  
  
"No problem, Fujin. I'd be going insane if I had to do them up without help"  
  
"NEGATIVE. . . RAJIN, GRATITUDE"  
  
"Oh. You're welcome" Quistis said, taking a moment to pause and look Fujin in the eyes through the floor length mirror. The blonde woman gulped slightly, taking a sip out of her water glass before standing,  
  
"Last set. Wow, how long have these buttons taken?"  
  
"HALF AN HOUR" Fujin said, smirking about what Seifer would do later that night to them, namely ripping them open with a very impatient hand.  
  
"What? Is there something wrong?"  
  
"SEIFER IMPATIENT" the silver haired vixen smirked, letting out a short giggle.  
  
"Ah." Quistis added, blushing at the thought of Fujin's wedding dress being tossed to the floor, a ripped up mess. After the buttons were all finally done, Quistis sat Fujin down to start brushing her hair,  
  
"How long did it take?" Fujin asked, her natural, surgery improved voice startling Quistis out of getting a knot out of Fujin's hair.  
  
"I thought you said half an hour?"  
  
"Rajin"  
  
"Oh. About a month. He was too weak and skittish so for the first while we just worked on getting him clean. After that, it was fairly easy going, we simply planned the wedding, bought supplies, he made the table arrangements and we talked, ate, slept toget..."  
  
"YOU AND RAJIN!?" Fujin coughed, as Quistis dropped the brush on the floor, slapping her forehead,  
  
"NO, no, it isn't like THAT. We shared a bed. Still do. He needed someone there that wouldn't leave... oh I'm sorry Fujin, I didn't mean anything by that" Quistis appologized, seeing the hurt look on Fujin's face. Quistis finished Fujin's hair in silence, topping it with a small veil connected to a silver Balambesque tiara. Now getting dressed herself, Quistis came out wearing her SeeD formal uniform, her whip slung at her side with her hair all done up and an intricate braided twist in the center of her head.  
  
"LOVERS?"   
  
Choking on her water, Quistis excused herself to clean around her mouth with a hankercheif, then returned to speak,  
  
"I honestly cannot tell you. I mean, the attraction is there, but that's not what Rajin needed me for. He was afraid of sleeping alone, I slept beside him. He needed help planning the wedding, I gave it to him, he needed someone to talk to, I was there. We love each other, but not in that way. At least not yet. Funny thing is, I can't imagine not waking up beside him in the mornings, or going for walks in the atrium to splash water at each other beside the fountain, or try each other's food. It's going to be lonely going back to Balamb Garden without him."  
  
Fujin smiled, so it was a good thing they left Rajiin for a while. She cocked her head to the side, examining the former instructor, who looked at Fujin a little surprised,  
  
"Well I've certainly never said that before. Reminds me of the times we'd play Truth or Dare... except we'd never dare... okay sometimes we'd dare, but I'm babbling. We'd start with the most innocent question and end up twenty minutes later with some great truth revealed. Except here there aren't any gummy bears or marshmallows"  
  
Before Fujin could ask, Selphie came barreling through the door.  
  
"Hey guys! Whaa!!" Selphie yelped, tripping over the area rug and going kersplat onto a chair. Getting back up with the help of Quistis, she wiped her forehead and made a whooshing noise before stretching.  
  
"Okay, uummm, YAH! YAY! weddings, I love weddings! But that ..wasn't the message... righto! Laguna said to tell Fujin that he's coming to bring you down the aisle, so to be ready by... well he'll be here in a minute. AH! I have to get ready!"  
  
As Selphie flailed on her uniform and did her make-up, Quistis and Fujin looked at each other and smirked as Selphie hopped up with one boot on and the other goving her trouble as Laguna knocked.  
  
Sticking his head in, he asked,  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
-----------------------------  
  
'Memory serves and guides us. It keeps us lingering in our past transgressions and most intimate moments. It delves deeper than time, relationships, in essense, it is the basic parts of ourselves worthy of rememberance. Think of it this way: If asked about your favourite song, if you have to sit and think to try and remember it, that song is not your favourite. Your favourite will be the tune that was floating into the cafe when he kissed you, or when the radio turned to the right song to ease your sorrow or help you dance. Those are the songs that mean the most and those are the moments that will never be taken away. Even if someday the trials of the hours are forgotten, something still remains: you. Your personality has been changed by the event and thus, although you have finite potential either way, past experiences dictate how your potential grows. Thusforth, all you have to do to remember is accept who you have become. The past cannot be changed, the future is set in motion, this moment is grinding to a stop, what choice do you make here. Now. When it matters more. Whatever you have done or accomplished is leading up to the choice before you. Shall I write? Shall I draw? What does it matter, if my words are irrelevant? It matters because my words might be read by only one, but that one might need to hear what I have to say, that person will sometime in the future of my writing this have the choice of reading this, will they? Will they listen or turn away, at the least I can stand and testify that I have written it. I can stand beside my lover on his box and call, for I had the choice to stand hidden and do nothing, but at any point I could have been redeemed by simply taking that step. So now I stand, broken as I am to testify not to the rebirth of my spirit, but to its growth and mending. I have said all I had been given to say, now after reading it, will you listen? Will it matter? Will you stand?'  
  
- Nobus Ordo Saeclorum: on the final page.   
  
Balamb summers are the best in the world for relaxing on the beaches, training in the forests, sipping esspresso outside a cafe and fishing on the dock. Balamb springs, however are not perfect for relaxing on the beach or training in the forests, but are ideal for sailing and catching the occasional Balamb flounder. Rajin had caught nothing, Fujin had contented herself to making patterns with her fishing rod in the water and Seifer we getting aggitated. Nothing. Not a single anchovy! What made things even better was that their boat had sprung a leak and the Balamb mechanics were taking too long to fix it. Then again, more time for fishing. . . whose idea was it to fish in the first place? . . . oh yeah, Rajin's. Seifer thought, watching the only dangling to be his old comfortable boots from the Sorceress War. At least Fujin seemed to be having fun, she was captivated by the circles her fishing tackle was making in the water when she tapped her rod.   
  
Rajin's caught something, dammit! I wanted to catch the first fish! Seifer thought, standing up and throwing his rod onto the wooden dock. Fujin, who had stood due to Rajin almost knocking her off the dock looked over to her husband, raised her foot and kicked the dancing Rajin off the dock.  
  
Seifer burst out in a hysterical laugh, as Rajin surfaced spitting out seaweed. Fujin simply smiled and watched Seifer doubling over until a familiar whirring could be heard over Rajin trying to climb on the dock.   
  
Balamb Garden flew suspended in midair overtop the three, beyond Balamb's curved roofs to it's moorings in the north of the Balamb continent. Seifer had smiled a lot lately, knowing that at least most of the world had forgiven them, that some of the men and women he grew up with didn't hate him or wish him dead, waking up to Fujin's hair in his face, Rajin acting like his usual self all gave him excuse to smile. Suddenly it didn't matter if he didn't catch any fish, or the boat was going to be getting fixed longer, because the smell of the sea permiated everything, his family was right there and seeing Garden flying high reminded him that even if mistakes had been made and alliances altered, there is such a thing as turning back, such a thing as redemption.   
  
Fujin came behind Seifer, laced her arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck, nuzzling her forehead in the cradle between his neck and shoulder. Seifer laced their fingers, standing tall with his wife around him as Rajin crawled onto the dock and shook himself off, Quistis would be meeting them once Garden was properly docked, her and Rajin were trying out a double date to test the waters. Truth was, Rajin had fallen for her hook line and sinker and Seifer secretly hoped she cared at least a little.   
  
"Fuu? Do you think this could work?"  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"I dunno, guess I just want Rajin to be happy, too"  
  
Seifer could feel Fujin nodding, and turned himself around to face her,   
  
"You're beautiful" he said, kissing her and letting his lips linger, Fujin looked up at him cocking her head as if to say even wearing this? She had put her old garb back on, too complete with eyepatch.  
  
"Yeah, the patch adds a sort of sexy rebel look" the newlyweds started laughing as Fujin smacked Seifer across the chest and started tickling him.   
  
"Hey, ya know! We gotta get ready, ya know, Quistis'll be here in a flash, eh!" Rajin said beyond the laughing, coming over to them and smiling nervously. Fujin looked him up and down before shaking her head with a smirk,  
  
"PATHETIC!" she said, kicking him in the shin. Not as hard as she used to, but enough for Rajin to grab his shin and Seifer to start laughing, walk over and slapp him on the back, lifting his shoulders up higher than Seifer's own and grinning full force.  
  
"Some things'll always be the same" Seifer grinned, Fujin sliding her arm around Seifer's waist as the three smiled at each other.  
  
"But sometimes change is good" a voice came from behind them, turning, Rajin's face grew into a huge grin as one blonde newly-instated instructor came walking down the dock, her heeled boots clopped on the wood. Seifer nodded and Rajin broke away from the friendly bonding to wrap Quistis into a reciprocated bear hug. Amongst small talk like 'got a haircut, ya know' and 'Noticed, I like it', Quistis, Rajin, Fujin and Seifer walked to the restaurant and a beautiful starry night.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
'Fujin gave me this journal for... okay so she connived me into recording my inner feelings or something. Not too thrilled, that's what sex is for. Whatever. Oh great, now I'm not only writing on coloured paper, but I'm beginning to sound like Squall. Before I'm going to have to burn the evidence and tell Fujin a dragon ate it, I better write something worth reading. . . . . . ... . .. . . .  
  
Sun's shining somewhere over the collosal load of rain clouds, Fujin's taking a shower after we ran into a huge mud puddle when it was raining torrentially, Rajin's getting provisions for our next departure and I'm sitting in our Estharian Apartment with a wet head of hair and a dry sweater. Everything's calm, I can hear the shower running and can smell the flowers Fujin planted in pots around the place. Smells sweet, the rain was refreshing and I'm just glad everything seems to be going okay. Not amazing, people still stop us in the street and we've had to beat up on a couple punks who got hired to kidnap us and bring us to Galbadia, but other than those little excitements, life would be boring. Huh. Since when did sex all day, woman of my dreams and best friend sailing the world over, with not a material worry boring? Went back to Edea's House last voyage, place is doing alright, Matron's got some orphans she's taking care of and Cid was there visiting with Balamb Garden not far away. Fuj and I went out for drinks with Irvine and Selphie last week when they were on a mission to Esthar with Quistis, who went out for a night with Rajin, Selphie got plastered and spilled the dirty details of Irvine and her sneaking into each other's SeeD dorms and getting caught naked in bed on a wednesday morning. Fujin laughed so hard.   
  
Funny how after only six months being married Fujin and I have become such the married couple. I mean, we finish each other's sentences if we speak at all, sometimes we'll go a whole day without saying a word, drives Rajin crazy. But that's alright, because if there's anything Fujin's taught me it's that sometimes the most powerful moments are silent. The look in her eyes is enough to tell me how much she's mine, how completely she loves me, and I hope my eyes say the same. I used to think having a woman meant dominating, loving her of course, but always having the control, always being the one in charge. Fujin gives me complete control, what I say goes, but the trust she has in me with that control reminds me that yeah, I've got her right where I want her, but I need her for so much more. So it ends up that she has complete control over me, visa versa, and the freedom that gives us makes the sex incredible, but it makes just living with her incredible too. I promised to love her as much as I could, everyday that love grows more, it blows me away. Wow, this journal thing really works... kudos to Fujin. You asked for it, love hope you can handle what I dish.   
  
Later Fuu, the water stopped running, I'm going to go 'surprise' you.'  
  
- Seifer's Journal-Thing... READ IT AND DIE!!! You know who you are... STOP! Look no further!!  
  
Two Years Later,  
  
""Great things are not done by impulse, but  
by a series of small things brought together."  
  
•Vincent Van Gogh   
  
Dear Maya,   
  
Hope you find the quote true, darling. When you're old enough to read this your mother and I want you to know that no matter what you hear about the past, it can't be changed, but that's okay, because the future can be changed, all we have to do is the right thing. I know you're probably going to grow up thinking about the lameness of your parents, but remember: we used to be cool. So whatever you find yourself doing in life, I can't promise that we won't flip out, or throw a tantrum, or even be anything other than dissaproving, but we love you so much we're willing to let some things slide, catch you when you fall and praise you when you reach the top of what you wanted. When you want to cry, we'll cry with you, and offer you two very experienced shoulders, when you want to laugh, we'll grin along, when you fall in love some day, I can't promise I won't want to blow the guy's head off for not being good enough for my little girl, but that's what your mother's for. Remember that your mother's got me wrapped around her pinkie, so if you ever want something, ask her and what she says goes. Unless you are short a couple of gil to go out with friends, then come to me and one smile from your gorgeous face will wilt me into a big enough puddle of fatherly pride that you'll not only have a couple of gil, but whatever your heart desires.   
  
We can't teach you much, but we can teach you how to fight for yourself and the cause your heart finds worthy of, just promise us you'll be careful and find a good enough cause to better the world for your kids some day. Fujin can teach you how to find peace and I can teach you how to cause havok, and maybe through learning from both of us you'll find balance.   
  
Live each day like it's worth your life, whatever your hands find to do, do it well, be proud of who you are and what you are, look down to no one, but respect your elders. I hope that your road is not always easy, but you will have people around you to fall back on when you fall, laugh with when you're happy and cry with when you're sad. I hope you learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others around you and that you don't forget how much we will always love you. Even if brothers and sisters come around, you are unique, special and our gorgeous mischeif-maker. Welcome to the world, Maya Frey Almasy. We know you'll have one heck of a life.  
  
Your parents,  
  
Seifer and Fujin Almasy."   
  
Seifer stood in Maya's room cradling the small baby, rocking her slowly as her tiny green eyes drifted shut and her mouth suckled at the warm bottle he held carefully up. Leaning against the door post, Fujin smiled watching her husband worship the little four month old even though she woke them with her crying at 3 in the morning and birds had begun chirping outside their window. Looking up, Seifer's smile grew wider as he motioned his wife over and she tip-toed up to kiss his bicep and watch their platinum-blonde haired daughter. Leaning down, Seifer kissed Fujin, trailing his lips up to whisper in her ear,   
  
"She was hungry"  
  
Eventually, Seifer put their child back in her crib, a gift from Laguna, and tucked her in, turning the moomba and chocobo mobile, a gift from Rajin, on. Checking around the room once more, Seifer leaned down and picked up a stuffed moogle or two from the floor and double checked his daughter's blanket. Fujin nudged him out of the door, leaving the baby monitor on the changing table, a gift from Quistis and Rajin, before pulling the door almost closed, walking into their bedroom and getting ambushed with a swept-off-the-floor kiss by Seifer. Moments like these make life awesome Fujin thought, as Seifer kissed down her neck and threw off her camisole as she snaked his pajama bottoms off.   
  
In the morning, they woke up to the sun peeking under the cracks between the blinds and cooing from the baby monitor, Rajin had come in after staying with Quistis in Balamb for a couple days and was fawning over Maya. Holding each other for another small eternity they smiled, life couldn't get much better even if it got worse being a family would make weathering any storm more than possible, it would be bliss.  
  
Cursum Perficio Fin 


End file.
